


The Bringer of Dawn

by Jorie2127 (dsha801)



Series: Arch' Verse [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU Season 6, Archangels, Archangels as kids, Chuck as God, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I don't know what more to tag, Kid!Fic, Motherly behavior, Panic Attacks, Protective Michael, Sam as nanny too, Season/Series 06, Some Humor, balthazar as heavenly maid, dean as nanny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 19:23:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1481164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsha801/pseuds/Jorie2127
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>God!Chuck finally returned to Heaven to help the angels just after the boys conviced Cas to stop his deal with Crowley. All must be good then, right? Well, it is if you don't count the archangels, who are now humans, that Chuck keeps dumping on them. <br/>In other words, Sam and Dean now have kid archangels to babysit. But hey, at least they got Balthazar as their heavenly maid.  </p><p>Sequel of 'Who is like God'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lucifer's entrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Lucifer." He said it as someone says something important, with a confidence and finality that a kid shouldn't posses. The name itself for Sam was like a bucket of cold water running freely down his back. He tried to ignore it, remembering that the archangel who possessed him was now a kid, a powerless kid, one who didn't posses memories of what he once did. He wasn't the one that wanted to use him as a meat suit to bring the apocalypse; he wasn't the Devil. Or at least, not yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic will be more centered on Lucifer and his relationship with Sam and Michael, and other stuff that will happen soon~
> 
> *UPDATE* Thanks to the amazing 'icesong180' for beta'ing this chapter! Now is more readable than before :D

_._

_Just four more miles_ , he kept repeating to himself. He could make it; he had to.

Though, it was rather difficult to think positively when he couldn't even watch the road because of the blood dripping from his head. Sam tried to clean it with the back of his hand for the third time as he looked briefly at the passenger seat to see if Bobby was still conscious. He was but just barely. Sam panicked for a moment, then shook his head in an attempt to clear it and sighed, more from exasperation than tiredness, as he recalled the events of the day that led to this very moment.

The police just found one body from the many that were missing with wounds that didn’t reassemble the ones that the animals that habited in that forest could cause. They had thought at first it was a black dog doing the killing. Bobby said that there was a possibility it was a wendigo too, and because of that they brought the weapons to kill one. _Just in case_ , his surrogate father said. They were alive thanks to that assumption.

After three hours in the woods, they found traces that suggested it really was a wendigo, and that there may be survivors. But of course when they finally found the cave, the wendigo was already killing the last person alive. Sam could still hear the screams when he closed his eyes.

They took advantage of the monster feeding to attack, but it was too fast. Bobby dodged the first blows but one of the last slashed his side. The wendigo then threw him to the cave wall when he tried to aim the fire thrower at its chest. Although that gave Sam enough time to use his own to burn him, it wasn't before the monster destroyed their first aid kid though. 

After that they had to run for the extra kit in their motel room. Luckily, Sam just had some bruises. His arm would probably need some stitches, and the concussion in his head pounded loudly, making it hard to think. It didn't felt too serious, but that might just be the adrenaline. In the end, he just needed to reach the motel and get some painkillers. Bobby was the one that worried him; he had some serious injuries.

"Press the wound, Bobby. And don't sleep."

"This ain't my first time, kid. I've been doing this since you were in diapers." It wasn't exactly true, but Sam needed Bobby to stay awake, and if exaggerating everything helped, so be it. 

When they arrived, Sam parked Bobby's truck near their room. It hadn't been as fast as the Impala but at least they were here. Sam rushed out of the car, hissing. Maybe it was more serious than he had thought. He definitely had some big bruises; after all the wendigo had thrown him a few times, and the adrenaline that masked the pain was starting to wear out. 

He went to the passenger side and supported the older hunter with his shoulder.  It was early, which meant no one would notice the state of their clothes, and hopefully if someone saw them they would just assume they were drunk.

In the room Sam placed Bobby on the bed closer to the bathroom. He just grunted in response, and pointed to the duffel bag where they stored the emergency aid kit. Sam opened it and pulled two pain killers from the box, swallowing them with a mouthful of water quickly, before approaching his companion.

"Kid, I need something to drink and to use as antiseptic, there's scotch in my bag." Sam did as he was told. Then he gathered all the materials he needed to fix him up, and looked at the ugly wound on Bobby's side for the first time. Yes, this was going to take a while. 

After stitching the wound, Sam decided that Bobby was not in a life-threatening state for the moment, and the older hunter could get some well-needed hours of sleep. Now he had to care for his own wounds, but he wanted to take a shower first to wash the blood of the victims and dirt from his clothes. Maybe even find something to eat. There wasn't much time for Bobby to rest, as it would be better to get back to the house as soon as possible. And it would be difficult to explain why the blankets were so bloody to housekeeping. 

Only once he stripped down in the bathroom did Sam see how terrible his injuries truly were. A large bruise close to his ribs, and others running up and down his legs. A wound that luckily wasn't a concussion on the back of his head, various cuts all over his chest, a larger cut up the length of his arm, and the one in his hairline that kept bleeding.

He was washing his hair, avoiding the patches on his forehead, when he heard a knock at the door. It was too early for the room service, or the manager kicking them out, but he couldn't take any chances. He would have to make some excuse, and wake Bobby so they could leave. 

Sam grabbed a towel and wrapped his lower body with it. He went to the door, ready with his classic bar fight excuse and an innocent smile. He was completely unprepared for the small child on the porch, who seemed to be reading some kind of note. 

For some reason, something inside him seemed to pull him to the kid, sensing some sort of recognition. The youth glanced at him, probably noticing his presence for the first time, and took a little step back with a surprised expression. The emotion only lasted a second, and was gone in a blink. The child composed himself and looked at Sam's chest and then at his face, smiling.

Those icy blue eyes and blonde hair seemed familiar to Sam, and he had to admit, the child was beautiful. He didn't know why the thought sent chills running down his spine, but it was true. The kid was like the ones you see in commercials, though unlike those actors, he had a mystical light surrounding him. The space where the small child stood seemed to shine in his presence, which became more apparent when he smiled. Not even the best Hollywood effects could fake the emotion you got from seeing him.

That might be the reason why Sam found himself awestruck, unable to move or look away. The kid started bouncing on the balls of his feet, hiding the paper behind his back with an amused expression as he continued staring at Sam. The child giggled when he shook his head, and the hunter couldn't help smiling at the sound, despite knowing there were many monsters who used beauty to lure their victims. 

"You're Sam?" he asked. Sam blinked for a few seconds, amusing the kid even more. Sam ran a hand thought his long hair and tried to remember the fake name they used.

Wait. _Fake name_. They didn't check in with their real names.

He mentally cursed himself for neglecting to bring a weapon with him. He had to gain some time so he could think of a plan. Sam decided to start a conversation to distract the kid for the moment. He put on a friendly smile as he answered the question. 

"Yes. And you are?"

"Lucifer." He said it as someone says something important, with a confidence and finality that a kid shouldn't posses. The name itself for Sam was like a bucket of cold water running freely down his back. He tried to ignore it, remembering that the archangel who possessed him was now a kid, a powerless kid, one who didn't posses memories of what he once did. He wasn't the one that wanted to use him as a meat suit to bring the apocalypse; he wasn't the Devil. Or at least, not yet. Sam glanced at the kid again.

The child in front of him wasn't what he expected, quite the contrary actually. He was the complete opposite of what he expected the Devil to look like as a human: beautiful. But what had he really expected? Someone who looked like the monsters he was so used to fight? Tiny horns and hairy legs? He knew that that was just what humans thought Satan would look like. Sam subconsciously had also thought that Satan would look more like the god Pan without considering what Lucifer really was in essence.

An archangel. And not just any archangel, but the brightest and most beautiful one of them all.

Lucifer, sensing that Sam was getting lost in his thoughts again, took the paper out from behind his back and shoved it in Sam's direction.

"A message from Father." His voice was smooth, so unlike the high pitched tone of kids that Sam was used to. He found himself mesmerized by that voice, but grabbed the note and motioned for the kid to come inside. He watched the child warily however. Only once inside did he remember the person sleeping in the room and immediately stopped walking, turning around to kneel in front of Lucifer.

"You need to be silent for a while because Bobby is sleeping, but you can watch TV while I put some clothes on and then we talk, okay?" he whispered.

"Okay." The kid answered slowly, as if he was testing the words in his mouth. They walked to the couch and Sam helped him to climb onto it. He then glanced at the letter.

"You read the note, right?"

"Father didn't tell me not to." The kid narrowed his eyes at him, as if daring him to say the contrary. Sam only shook his head and took a breath before reading.

_Dean didn't want me to send him while he was with Lisa._

_Also, Lucifer will be more comfortable with you._

_Thanks Sam._

After reading, Sam concentrated more on the letter itself than the words. Here was an actual letter written by God. As he touched the golden words he felt the power emanating from it. Sam caressed the texture of the paper as if he were in trance, and for some reason he sighed in bliss, realizing for the first time that he didn't touch the note Michael gave Dean.

Did his brother feel that too?

He put the paper down, something that shouldn't have been so difficult to do. He then showed the kid how to use the TV remote, before reaching for his bag to look for clean clothes.

The only sounds he heard were of Lucifer zapping through channels, glancing from time to time in Sam's direction, Bobby's quiet snore and the sound of his own thoughts while he put his clothes on. And now that he thought about the latest events… the one who accepted God's offer was Dean. So why would God send his son to him? Yes, Balthazar told him that they were new at being human, and would need some sort of anchor. He was Lucifer's true vessel, and Lucifer had already possessed him once. It was obvious that he would be sent to Sam, but something bothered him because even if his brother was with Lis-

Sam cursed aloud. The note had said _'Dean didn't want me to…’_

Did his brother talk with Chuck and not told him? He really needed to call his brother.

Sam stood up fully dressed and frantically searched for his phone. The two hunters had entered in a hurry, and he had tossed it aside so Bobby's blood wouldn't get on it when he patched him up.

"What are you looking for?" Sam turned his head to the direction of the voice. Lucifer's head was resting on the arm of the couch, and the eyes he had pinned on Sam were filled with amusement.

Was it him, or did every time Lucifer look at him seem like he was watching something amusing?

"My cell phone." He said.

"What does it look like?" Sam frowned, and was about to answer when he noticed the device on the table in front of the TV. He took a step towards it and grabbed it, showing the phone to the little Devil.

"Like this."

"And what is the purpose of it?" He looked genuinely curious as he touched it and saw the screen came to life.

"Well, I can communicate with other people with it, uh, even if they're in other countries." Lucifer seemed fascinated with this information and frowned as he turned the phone around and tried to open it.

"Why can't I open it?" Sam snorted and placed an open hand in front of the kid. Lucifer glared, but returned the device with an annoyed sniff. Cute.

"You can't. I need it to call my brother." The kid held his head high and looked at him with big eyes.

"But then can I use it?" Damn. It was as if someone turned a knob to maximum in the child's head. His brother had said countless times that when they were kids it was impossible to say no to him when he did the puppy eyes, and now he understood what he meant. But he didn't think his were as powerful as these 'puppy eyes of Doom'. In the Bible it was mentioned that Lucifer was the favorite son. Did God also have problems saying no to him?

"Uh… I'll buy another one for you." Lucifer smiled and nodded with mischief clear in his eyes as he turned his attention to the TV again.

They were so screwed.

Sam shook his head and dialed his brother's number, waiting just one ring before it was answered. Why was his brother awake this early?

"Sammy?"

"Uh, hey Dean." Okay, he definitely forgot to think this through. Hey, Lucifer's here, did you talk with Chuck or something?

"What's wrong?" His brother asked and Sam could hear the worry in his tone.

"Did you talk with Chuck?" 

"Yeah, he kind of kidnapped me." Dean sounded a little uncomfortable so something strange must have happened.

"When?"

" I was going to call you, bitch." He defended himself. "And technically, it happened today. Why? What's happened?" Sam sighed. He would just have to say it and get it over with quickly.

"Lucifer is here."

"What do you mean with Lucifer is there? I thought you were on a hunt!" Yes, luckily he didn't started with that.

"We were. Just finished a few hours ago. Bobby fell asleep after I patched him up, and when I finished showering I heard a knock and, well..." Sam tried to use his most reasonable voice, but it didn't seem to work.

"And he just popped up out of the blue?"

"Yeah, he also had a message like Michael that said, uh, wait." Sam glanced around looking for the note. "Hey, did you see..?" He turned and saw how Lucifer followed his actions with curiosity, hands playing with the paper. When he realized that he was being watched he held it in Sam's direction with a smile on his lips and Sam took it with one hand. "Oh, thanks."

"Okay I have the note. It says 'Dean didn't want me to send him while he was with Lisa. Also Lucifer will be more comfortable with you. Thanks Sam.' "

"Perfect. He dumps his kids on us, but at least says thanks." Sam smiled softly, even this far from each other, he could clearly see his brother rolling his eyes.

"I'm packing to head back to the house, I'll wake Bobby when I finish. We're going to pass through Connecticut, you want to meet us somewhere near there?"

"Neither of you can drive, Sam! You just finished a hunt and are tired and hurt. Better I go to get you." Sam was ready to argue, but he suddenly felt really tired. He turned to watch Bobby's sleeping form and sighed.

"Normally I would say no, but you're right, we have to take care of the kid now too… even if he is Lucifer." He whispered the last part glancing at the kid on the couch, who was now engrossed in opening the remote rather than watching Sam.

"How is the kid, by the way?" Beautiful, Sam wanted to say, but he knew that his brother wouldn't accept that answer. He had to see it to believe it. He tried to search for another word to describe the kid that didn't include glowing or relaxing.

"Surprisingly quiet. I mean, not like Michael on his first day, more like happy-curious quiet. He's watching TV right now." He chuckled at the bizarre situation he found himself in. Dean just snorted.

"Dude, you have the Devil on your couch."

"He's a kid, Dean." Sam tried his best to keep the annoyance away from his voice.

"Yeah, whatever. Just send me the address of the motel you're staying so I can pick you up."

"Yeah, thanks man. Sorry if I interrupted your, uh, 'moment' with Lisa."

"We stayed as friends." Well, the chance for a normal life had been thrown out the window for both of them a long time ago, and although he had hope, he also had to admit that it would have been difficult to be in a relationship while taking care of the sons of God. 

"Sorry to hear it, man. I know you loved her."

"It was mutual, Sammy."... Okay, that wasn't what he expected. He thought Lisa had called to break up with him. He wasn't expecting his brother to be fine with it, or even sound so calm.

"Um... You want to talk about it?"

"Hell no, next time you're going to ask me to braid your hair and paint your nails. I pass." Sam scoffed. Typical answer.

"Jerk." He shook his head in amusement as he turned the phone off. He then looked at the bed next to him where Bobby still slept. He'd let him sleep a little longer before waking him, just until Dean came. Besides, it would be easier to speak about the same thing with two people at the same time than one by one.

He took a deep breath and approached the figure who sat in the couch with remote pieces on his lap. Then, sitting beside him he asked, "Want some help?"

.


	2. The Devil on my lap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since he found out that Lucifer would be included in the archangels package that would be dumped on them and that they would end having to take care he mentally prepared himself. Every day he read books and magazines about problematic kids and how to deal with them, obviously, behind Dean’s back, because he already expected a rebellious kid who wouldn't listen to anyone and do what he wanted, crying for attention, the whole shebang. That was what he prepared himself for.

 

Sam checked the time for the third time, just four hours has passed since his conversation with Dean.  _He must be close._  Sam thought, shaking his head as glanced at the kid on his lap. After an hour of questions (Lucifer's questions) they finally found a channel he could enjoy without asking every minute about some pop culture reference. Discovery, figures.

Well, after all, the Devil liked earth, didn’t he? They shared the same mind once; he knew that Lucifer saw Earth as the last greatest creation, a masterpiece. What enraged him, the principal problem, were the humans that habited in it. That may be why he expected something else from the kid that now laid sleep, using his legs as a pillow.

And okay, how he really thought Lucifer would be? Well, nothing like this, that's for sure.

Since he found out that Lucifer would be included in the archangels package that would be dumped on them and that they would end having to take care he mentally prepared himself. Every day he read books and magazines about problematic kids and how to deal with them, obviously, behind Dean’s back, because he already expected a rebellious kid who wouldn't listen to anyone and do what he wanted, crying for attention, the whole shebang. That was what he prepared himself for.

A troublemaker. Someone difficult. Someone who Sam would have to never take his eye of. Someone who would make easier to add things in the list of why you should hate Satan, something to make Sam confirm all of the suspicions he had about him.

But what he got instead?

A good behaved kid, if not a little irritating with all the questions he kept asking; though if he had to admit to himself, it was kind of cute... And adjective he never thought he would use to describe the Devil. But he had to be honest with himself; this Lucifer definitely wasn’t what he expected. There wasn't the hate, narcissism, self-righteous anger or all of the motions he felt when Lucifer was inside of him... And he really needed to find another form to rephrase that, luckily for him he just thought it instead of saying it aloud. He still didn't know how to call it without making it dirty.

But all things aside, the truth was that, because besides the feeling of his soul being pushed down inside his body as Lucifer wrapped him within his grace, and he felt himself for the first time as a soul when the archangel used him as a vessel, Sam also felt a too many conflicted emotions he didn't knew the Devil possessed, too strong and powerful. How Lucifer managed to be so calm and smooth when he talked with him in his dreams, he didn't know. Though the sharing of emotions just lasted a second before he fell unconscious, it was enough to scare him for a lifetime.

He shuddered, remembering that day in Detroit.

Sam glanced down, looking at the peaceful face of Lucifer as he slept. He wasn’t frowning, nor showing any signs of distress, looking as calm as any other normal child would be while sleeping and seeing him this way made Sam wonder. What happened?

Well, he already knew, of course. Or part of it, anyways. He must have read almost all the scripts related to the apocalypse and Lucifer, but one never knew, after all they only got the human version and Cas already told them enough times about how wrong most of the prophets were interpreting their words. And if Gabriel was the messenger who told them then there was no doubt in him that there would be misinterpretations.

Besides, for what he just saw in the last four hours the hate they saw that Lucifer had for humans was gone, because he was one now or maybe because he didn't had his memories, he didn't know… And some comments aside about how weak these bodies were when Sam showed and tried to explain the cut in his arm, there was nothing.

_'We interrupt this program for a special bulletin: advice to the people of Virginia, there are huge waves coming at your shores, they're-'_

Sam jumped slightly at the change in the volume of the show. The sound of nature he was previously hearing was now switched with the voice of a woman. He searched for the remote, trying not to wake the kid on his lap, though before Sam managed to get a hold of it he heard a grunt coming from the bed behind them. He cursed under his breath. He forgot about Bobby and he didn’t understand how, if a few hours before he was telling Lucifer to be silent so they don't woke the hunter. Good job, Winchester.

He kept and ear out to other sounds that might come from Bobby as he turned the TV off and when he didn't heard anything from his position on the couch he sighed, shifting in his seat as he relaxed and continued running a hand through Lucifer's hair, still amazed at how soft it was.

"Luckily we didn’t wake him, huh." He muttered at the sleeping kid.

"To late, boy. And who are ya' talkin' with?" Sam cursed internally and turned his head to give Bobby what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He didn't buy it. "Now what the hell did ya' do now?"

"Uh, well..." Before he managed to start a sentence Lucifer shifted on his lap, nudging closer as he grabbed a hold of his shirt. How long Bobby held his panicked look, he didn't count, but it was long enough to make him uncomfortable. So he supposed that it hadn't been too long.

"Is that...?" He started.

"Yes."

"And your brother?" Bobby didn't look around, after all the room wasn’t big. He looked as if he already knew the answer but wanted confirmation, he supposed.

"He isn't here. Apparently he told Chuck to not send his kid while he was with Lisa so that's why..."

"Yeah, it wouldn't be pretty trying to explain your ex why a kid called Lucifer appeared on your doorstep."

"Right.” Sam scratched his neck. “He's coming to retrieve us, though. You're wounded and me too, we're not driving like this with the kid in the back." Bobby scoffed but nodded.

"You're right, son.” Bobby rose a little in an attempt to get better look, it may have worked without the injuries. “So how long the kid was here?"

"Uh... Four hours?" Sam said with a sheepish expression, smiling nervously at the glare he was receiving. Even at his age Bobby still managed to make him feel as a kid sometimes.

"And ya didn't thought in waking me?" Even though the older hunter whispered Sam could hear clearly the disapproving tone in his voice.

"Bobby, you were wounded and needed rest, Lucifer is just a kid now and-" He tried to maintain his voice low as he answered.

"Bull."

"Bobby, he's powerless. You think that if there were a real problem Dean wouldn’t be calling every minute or call Cas for help?"

"Oh, I'm sorry for being a paranoid, princess, but that's just what keep me alive this long."

"Come on, he's just a kid!" Before Bobby had a chance to comment a flutter of wings made both of them turn towards the angel that just materialized in the middle of the room.

"Okay, okay. Now I'm here, what's the deal?" Thank God! Okay, maybe no, after all it was because of Him that all this happened in the first place.

"Good timing. How the hell did you know when to appear, idjt?" Bobby looked pointedly at Sam with a raised eyebrow; it seems that Dean did send someone.

"I didn't, actually. Your brother prayed like three hours ago I think?" Balthazar answered while looking at a watch that materialized on his hand. "I tell you, when you're in neutral places the worst thing is the lost of the track of time, though my internal watch should be working fine in some minutes."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"If Dean told ya' that long ago, why did ya' decided to appear this late, boy," And then in a more sarcastic tone he added. "It's not as if we didn't have the Devil here."

"I was playing poker, Singer." The angel smiled, but quickly correct himself. "Sorry, my bad. I was  _winning_ at poker.” Sam could almost hear the italics. “It always makes me happy to enrage other supernatural beings as I take _fairly_ stuff from them."

And with those words the room stayed silent for a second, both hunters surprised at the declaration and smug face that the angel was wearing but then a voice, which even surprised Balthazar, spoke.

"What is this poker?" Lucifer asked from his spot in his lap, he rose and turned his head enough to look at everyone.

"A game." Although Balthazar answered casually there was some cautiousness in his words. Bobby and Sam shared a look as Lucifer seemed to think about it, tilting his head before he smiled cheekily at the angel.

"Could you teach me?" He asked.

"Sure, boy."

"When did you wake up?" Sam couldn’t avoid the question, did he was already awaken when he and Bobby started to talk? How much did he had heard?

"A while back,” Although he tried to sound calm, Sam saw how his eyes narrowed slightly in Bobby's direction. Sam glanced at Balthazar to see his reaction at the whole situation, but the angel just looked curiously at them, looking between him to Lucifer in confusion; Sam raised an eyebrow, but the other didn't seem to notice. From the corner of his eye he saw that Bobby caught the action too.

"Balthazar?" The younger hunter asked when a smile started forming in the angel's lips, but the mention of his name seemed to snap it from whatever he was seeing in him.

"Your soul..." He started, but then he shut his mouth, lips twitching as he continued. "Nothing, nothing"

"Balthazar..." Sam heard some warning in Bobby's tone as he said the name.

"Seriously, nothing." He rolled his eyes and although Sam could still see the mischief in his eyes, he dropped the subject. He trusted him. Or at least he trusted in Cas and Cas trusted his brother.

"Okay," Sam said, glaring at the angel. "First of all, even if he isn't entirely human he still is a kid, so no poker." Lucifer leaned more towards him to catch his attention and when Sam looked at the kid he saw those eyes again, he turned to Balthazar again avoiding the ex-devil puppy eyes. "Second, it was a game of poker more important than this? Really, Balth?"

"Oh, perfect. Now you're shortening my name." Balthazar walked towards the ex-archangel, lifting his chin at him. "You sure shine, brother."

"Shine? Wait a minute.” Bobby said. “So, the kid is really glowing? I thought it was because of a concussion. And boy, keep changing the subject but you ain't saving your ass more than before."

"Come on, Singer. I'm supposed to be their heavenly maid; do you seriously think I wouldn't come if I wasn't doing something more important? Like, I don't know, gathering information?"

"While playing poker?"

"You hear the best gossip in those kind of places." The angel grabbed the bottle of scotch from the desk, sniffed it and with a disgusted face he snapped his fingers changing it for wine. Bobby rolled his eyes at the display.

"Now you want some bread and fish, Jesus? Or are you going to share?" Now it was turn for Balthazar to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, well, it looks that those downstairs noticed that something is missing from their lieu, several things, actually." He tilted his head casually in the kid’s direction, they pointedly didn't even glance at him not letting be fooled by his size. They already knew how smart he could be thanks to their time with Michael. "Those in top are getting nervous."

"The source is reliable?"

"Please, I do know how to get information without dirt my hands."

"That all?" Bobby raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Well, there are more ghosts appearing than usual and no one knows exactly why."

"I mean, something more important?"

"That's all I got." The angel shrugged and sat on the arm of the couch close to Lucifer, letting him touch his wings. The kid got a weird expression in his face and Sam remembered Dean telling him about how a memory of Michael related to Balthazar surfaced when he touched his wings.

"You remember something?" Lucifer turned his head towards him and frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I was created after..." Balthazar stopped talking but he understood the words that were unsaid  _'After Lucifer's fall'._

"What do you feel when you touch my wings?" He continued instead.

"Emotions.” Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise; Lucifer said the word as someone would say ‘the grass is green’. Not even Michael understood at first that what he felt were his emotions and no something else and even now he gets confused sometimes, but Lucifer answered without doubt.

 _What does this mean?_ Lucifer didn’t have memories and Sam already knew how alien emotions were for angels. Sam tensed. Something was missing; he wasn’t seeing the whole picture. It had to be with him being an archangel? No, Michael was one too. Or it was because he was the brightest? 

Lucifer touched his arm and looked directly at him, his eyes had a tiny spark of concern as he held his stare and once again Sam saw the glow that surrounded his tiny vessel and he felt how he started leaning closer, almost involuntarily, it was as if everything was getting hotter and Lucifer’s light was like a splash of cool water running through his skin, comforting him. He shuddered at the sensation but Sam felt how the tension left his body and was replaced by calm. Lucifer smiled and Sam couldn’t resist respond with one of his own as he sighed in relaxat-

“Sam!” Sam jumped on his seat, looking wildly around but finally turning to the direction of the voice that startled him in the first place and saw the worry in Bobby’s eyes as Balthazar rubbed his chin and muttered ‘ _interesting’_  under his breath.


	3. From the eyes of mini-Satan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer blinked in surprise at Him and when he tried to reach for his grace, he noticed that instead of it there was another kind of energy. He felt how the heartbeat (his heartbeat) pounded faster while his throat tightened. His grace was gone. His teeth clenched and the hands did the same as he tried to control the body, his body. It seemed too much of a liability how hard it was to control the emotions these bodies possessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Lucifer's POV, so now you can get an idea of how he was, uhmm, you know, 'before'. So this is what probably would have happen if Chuck hadn't told Lucifer to bow down and love the humans more than Him (According to the Supernatural universe, of course), maybe that way the temper tantrum would have been avoided?
> 
> Also! Thanks to the awesome icesong180 for helping me with my grammar while beta'ing this chapter and for the good the ideas!

** Earlier that day **

 

Lucifer blinked **_(blinked?)_** and found himself in Heaven. It wasn't the Heaven he remembered though. This felt strange, older, and complete. He **_(He?)_** was in Eden, but it didn't feel like the Eden he remembered. And there were new species he couldn't recall: new fauna and flora. He tried to assess his surroundings, expand his senses, but found that he was incapable of looking everywhere like he normally could. No, he only saw what was in front of him, and there was a feeling of confinement that he couldn't erase.

He looked at himself for the first time and saw that he was trapped inside a body he didn't have any memory of. He moved the limbs experimentally. They were like the ones of monkeys, but hairless ones, with a different posture and other types of bones. The body was small but it wasn't really uncomfortable; it didn't suffocate him. Actually, it was astonishing how well it fit. He clenched the hands, amazed at how the fingers worked. With these opposable thumbs, the body would have the option of maneuvering objects. It was handy.

He grunted and then continued to make more sounds with the mouth, the body even had the ability to create different types of sounds. The vocal cords were a masterpiece! And the complexity of the brain would allow it to process complex information, to think symbolically. It was amazing!

He felt the happiness bubbling inside him as his body reacted to his emotions. Lucifer knew that he was feeling happiness, and this type of body increased the sensation of it. It was a fine work, indeed.

He scratched the left arm with more force than he intended, and felt something strange. It didn't felt good though. Was it pain? The one that some of Father's creations felt? Was he testing this new creation? Did Father choose him to be the one to try it? Involuntarily, his mouth opened and his lips twitched up as a pleasant sound came from his throat _. It was a laugh_ , his mind provided. Lucifer stopped and reached with the hand to touch the smile it formed, _his_ smile. He felt lighter than before as he started to try what other movements this mouth could do.

"Lucifer," a voice said behind him in a language that wasn't the one of angels, but he could understand what it meant nevertheless. It was his name. The archangel turned awkwardly towards the direction of the voice as he figured out how to move the legs. Another body like the one he was wearing stood in front of him, but it was taller. Now he had a different perspective of these bodies. His head tilted, recognizing the familiar presence in front of him, though it was an unfamiliar face.

"Father." Lucifer bowed, looking at the ground in respect before taking a step towards Him. Two legs weren't stable enough, he decided, but he managed to run to where his father stood. His father bent down and grabbed him in the middle to hold him high in those arms. Lucifer leaned closer to feel His grace better; the fondness in his father's actions and power were unmistakable even within that body. They were strong enough to hold Father's power? Fascinating. He tried to reach to Father with his grace and panicked slightly when he found out that he was incapable to do that.

He couldn't even feel his own grace. There was something else instead of it; it felt similar and held a great power, but it wasn't pure as his grace.

"Father?" He heard how his own voice broke at the word as a flood of emotions rolled through him. Lucifer tried to look up, but Father gripped him tightly. Even without his grace, Lucifer felt how He started surrounding the new form he wore within His power, calming him.

He was more curious now; it was obvious that it was Father who put him in this situation and Lucifer wanted to know why. He also began to notice how he couldn't remember the last thing he did or why he was in Eden in the first place.

"Father?" He repeated.

"I'm sorry, Lucifer." Hearing this voice with his ears instead of his grace was strange. It didn't hold the power of the real one… The echo that managed to reach every being in creation before, could only reached him through the organs of the body, not all of him. Maybe the bodies weren't strong enough, after all. But still, they were sturdy enough to contain them.

When his father didn't continue with his statement, Lucifer decided to address the second issue that held his attention, hoping that it would gain him some answers.

"This is your new creation, Father? What is it called?"

"They're humans." He saw a weird smile on His face; he wondered if that was how his looked. "… What do you think of them?"

"Father, they're amazing vessels!" He exclaimed, his lips quirking up again. "These bodies can hold a lot of energy. Did you build them for us?" The angels were created to protect Father's creations, but if they started using these vessels, they might be able to interact with them on a whole different level. Well, they would be able to interact, period.

"No, my son." Something in his tone made Lucifer look away, though he couldn't understand what. "I made it to contain souls, other sentient kind of energy like your grace; but if the soul gives you its consent then you can also use the body." _Consent?_

"I didn't ask for the consent of this vessel, did I?" He looked down at his vessel but every time he tried to remember, the memory escaped from his grasp. He glanced up to watch his father. "… Did you?"

Father shifted his feet. Lucifer realized how comfortable He looked in that body.

"This is a special case; I fixed the body so it would only be yours." Lucifer felt his eyebrows turn down. If Father could do that, then why didn't He for all the angels? Why was consent necessary when he didn't even need it in the first place. Father seemed to notice his confusion as he added quickly, "Don't worry, son. I plan to give it to the other angels soon, but in the meantime, if there is a soul in the body then angels will need their consent to inhabit them."

His voice seemed excited as he mentioned the soul. It has been a long time since Lucifer saw his father get excited like this for one of his creations; he never had this many emotions when he spoke of previous ones. There were too many of them showing for Lucifer to understand completely, but that didn't mean that he wasn't happy to see his Father like this… it had been a really long time.

"May I see a soul, Father?" Was it the work that he always saw his father spending so much of his time with? He remembered going to the throne room and watching his Father while he labored on his new project and distancing Himself from everyone. With Father too concentrated in his creations, Lucifer and his brothers had taken the charge to watch over their youngers siblings more so than ever. It was their job as the elders. But that didn't mean that he wasn't curious to inspect what He was creating, as he didn't remember ever seeing it. Then again, he didn't remember much.

"You will. Actually, you have one now." Lucifer blinked in surprise at Him and when he tried to reach for his grace, he noticed that instead of it there was another kind of energy. He felt how the heartbeat, _his_ , pounded faster while his throat tightened. His grace was gone. His teeth clenched and the hands did the same as he tried to control the body, _his_ body. It seemed too much of a liability how hard it was to control the emotions these bodies possessed.

"And where is my grace, may I ask?" Lucifer asked politely, ignoring how his eyes itched while his mind slowly clouded. "Or is it that these vessels can contain us, but disable our ability to use it?"

"No, Lucifer," Father brushed the hair from his forehead as he continued. "I have your grace. Other angels can use theirs, but you can't." He remained silent as Lucifer repeated His words in his head, trying to make sense of them. They weren't said with anger or disappointment or any other negative feelings, but they were still unsettling.

"Did I did something wrong? I already apologized for taking the fledglings to fly with Gabriel."

"No, no. It's not that." Father scoffed as he moved His hand in a dismissive gesture. Then he blew air out of his mouth, _(it was called a sigh),_ and grasped Lucifer's head between his hands gently, stroking him with His grace. "Do you feel it, Lucifer?"

His eyes widened, because he did. He realized that he wasn't in his time, that eons had passed since the last memory he had. His memories weren't erased, but sealed inside him so no one but He could touch them. He felt through His grace what Father felt, this new Heaven. There were new angels he didn't recognize. Creation was bigger. New constellations and planets. But Earth stood in the same place. Well, not exactly the same. Orion had moved since the last moment Lucifer could recall. This planet had always gained his attention through all the life it held, but what piqued his interest this time was the amount of energy that seemed to reside there. Were those the souls Father mentioned?

Father let his head go, placing His nose close to his ear. The hair on His chin felt strange against his cheek, and the same occurred with the warm respiration on his ear.

"I made a mistake," He started quietly and Lucifer wanted to protest because that wasn't possible, but before he had the chance Father continued. "And I hurt you, I'm sorry for that..."

"Father, you would never-"

"You were angry at me, and it led you to make mistakes of your own. Horrible things that don't excuse your anger, Lucifer, because you hurt others with your actions as well."

"What?" It was hard to form the words as he tried to ignore the tightness in his chest.

"I won't tell you, son. Not now." He was getting angry at the lack of answers but he realized with horror how easy it was to let the emotions control him. He ignored it and asked the second most important thing.

"Is Michael-" _Mad at me?_ He didn't even want to think about that. He felt a hand cupping his chin and looked at Father's sad expression.

"He made mistakes too, like many of your brothers." _Many?_

"Are they missing their memories too?" Father shook his head.

"But then Father, why don't I remember?" _Why only me?_

"I'm giving you a second chance, my child."

"But how will I right my wrongs if I don't remember what I did?" Father placed His cheek against his hair as Lucifer leaned on his chest to wipe a few tears from his eyes.

"It's a second chance for you to be happy, to live without remembering our fight." He murmured softly. "You will remember eventually, but this will give you another perspective, I hope." He placed Lucifer on the ground, but knelt in front of him. "When you remember everything, I'll talk with you again and ask you about your experiences."

"I'm going without you? So I will be alone?" The Michael of this time would be angry with him? He couldn't imagine what he could have done to achieve that; even when Lucifer played pranks on him, his brother was never mad at him for too long.

"Your brothers will be with you. Michael, Raphael and Gabriel. All of them without their grace, on earth, among the humans."

"Are we going to be powerless then? The others won't have their memories either?" Lucifer resigned himself to his fate, ignoring the fire that ignited inside him, because he trusted his Father to know what to do. Even when He was busy with His new project, from what he recalled, He still knew and saw everything. That was why it was strange for him to think that He had made a mistake.

"You will remember more about your past because you need to, the memories will come eventually. Not as fast as Michael's, but it's just because he has other things to learn. I won't send Raphael nor Gabriel now, but it will happen soon." Lucifer nodded and tilted his head, looking at the form of Father's vessel for what to do.

"Are all humans my size, and you’re larger? Or am I the one who is small?"

"You're little." He smiled. "Your body is the size of a youngling."

"Will I be safe without my grace?" Without thinking Lucifer bit his lip. He didn't know what kind of instincts humans had, but every other animal turned aggressive in certain circumstances. Though this brain was more complex than others he encountered, perhaps humans retained the ability to control their emotions even when threatened. 

"I'll send you to other humans I trust to keep you safe. They're warriors, just like you."

"Keep me safe?" There were already humans that Father gave his trust to?

"Yes, and I'll always watch over you, son."

"And we'll learn what we need to with them?"

"And more. I remembered things I have forgotten as well thanks to them." Lucifer was taken aback at that comment. His Father was all-knowing. How was it possible for a human to teach Him something?

"What makes them special?" He asked instead, truly curious.

"Free will." His Father answered warily. "The ability to love, hate and forgive so quickly in their short life span. A lot of things I hope you would understand one day."

"What is free will?"

"Choices, Lucifer. They have freedom and the responsibility that comes with it, making their own choices, good or bad and accepting the consequences of it." The concept was foreign to him. Humans didn't love his Father? Didn't do what He commanded? How could they live with that chaos?

"And all of them will take care of me, Father?"

"Just a few of them. I'll send you to Dean, though you will be more comfortable with Sam. Um..." Father scratched the hair on his face with a hand, thinking. Lucifer loved to see Father thinking, though without his grace, he couldn't feel Father's creativity at work. "I'll need to talk to Dean about it."

"Will I be able to interact with my brothers?" _My family._

"Some of them, yes."

"I understand." He didn't, but they were Father's orders. Lucifer glanced at Him, and saw the other smile, but this one held another emotion he didn't recognize. After all, it had only been a while since he started feeling emotions, but he could understand and identify most of them.

"Lucifer…" Father whispered, clearly surprised as he looked at his son's eyes.

_No, He wasn't supposed to know!_

He didn't have his grace to protect his thoughts anymore, and Father wasn't busy enough to miss it. An angel wasn't supposed to feel anything besides love for Father. Lucifer bowed his head, not daring to look at Him. It was easier to hide from his father's stare with this body.

"I'm sorry, Father. I didn't mean to-"

His Father grabbed his head gently, and forced Lucifer to meet his gaze. "Don't apologize, Lucifer. I'm sorry for never noticing before, not until it was too late."

_Too late?_

"Feel emotions. It's fine. It's _perfect_." His father laughed and pressed their foreheads together. "Say hello to Michael for me son, when you see him." He kissed his hair and whispered, "Now knock."

And then all went white.

* * *

 

When Lucifer opened his eyes he was in a totally different place. He couldn't feel the purity of Heaven; instead there was a peculiar smell in the air replacing it. He had some weird fabrics on him, _clothes,_ his mind helped. In front of him stood an elaborate shelter. Considering he didn't remember much, he guessed that the technology had advanced. Was it the work of humans?

_'Now knock'_

Those were Father's last words. Lucifer glanced at the rectangular wooden door and knocked. That was the first time he noticed the note in his hand that seemed to be of the same language he and his father had spoken.

_'Dean didn't want me to send him while he was with Lisa._

_Also, Lucifer will be more comfortable with you._

_Thanks Sam.'_

He heard some sounds from the other side of the door, and when it finally opened he saw a man taller than his Father behind it. Lucifer couldn't see his face clearly, but he guessed that he was smiling. When he didn't see anyone of his height, the man glanced downwards. They held stares for a moment, and Lucifer tried to expand his new soul, not allowing himself to be frightened.

Lucifer was a warrior above all, an archangel, and he didn't felt fear easily. That was why even with the size of the human in front of him, and his inability to reach the man's core, he didn't fear. Father had sent him here after all and he trusted Father.

Nor was he surprised easily, though he definitely liked surprises. That was probably why when he saw the human's soul, he couldn't control the amused smile that spread across his face.

From the moment he opened the door, the soul had tried to reach towards him in desperation, as though it wanted to get out of its body to be within him, yearning for him... Did his future self knew this human?

A laugh burst from his throat, making the man smile softly. The soul, fluttering excitedly inside, shined brightly in Lucifer’s presence.

"You're Sam?" The man nodded with a dumbfounded expression. Lucifer may not have his grace, but it seemed that the remains of it in this new soul were enough to inspire this emotion in the man. _Fascinating._

 

__

[(](http://omano-chan.tumblr.com/)Art made by [Omano)](http://omano-chan.tumblr.com/)

 


	4. Nervousness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This day has been and exhausting one and the way his mind involuntarily became wary as he walked towards the room Dean had signaled didn't help, and neither that he kept wondering if Lucifer would remember him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *UPDATE* Thanks to 'icesong180' for beta'ing this chapter and being awesome, even when the draft was really bad xD

Dean was getting worried, and just a little stressed. He knew Michael was trying to remain calm, but Dean could almost feel the child shivering next to him, in excitement or fear, he didn’t know. He didn't even complain about the speed of the car, thing he always did, he just held tightly to the backpack on his lap as he looked at the window, throwing suspicious glances in his direction from time to time.

"Hey buddy, everything's going to be alright. I promise." Being the fourth time he had already tried to talk to him and all, he didn’t expect anything but the kid surprised him when he answered.

"Is Lucifer going to remember?" He asked quietly, still refusing to look at Dean. The words _'unlike me'_ remained unspoken, but Dean could hear them anyways.

"Well, your father told me that none of you were going to remember anything, just that you'll, you know, eventually regain your memories." Michael turned this time, eyes hardening in determination.

"But that depends on what we need to learn, doesn't it?" It didn't sound like a question.

"Uh, what?" Dean glanced at the child to see his expression, but he had already looked away, frowning. Dean extended his arm to rub Michael's back, obtaining a squirm as he looked up accusingly with slightly widened eyes.

"Two hands on the wheel, Dean!"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, sorry!" Dean put both hands on the wheel with a little more show than necessary, as if Michael had just asked him to perform a great task. The previously panicking kid laughed a little when Dean smirked at him. The hunter coughed as he thought of the questions he should ask to learn more about Michael, using the good mood that had settled between them to his advantage.

"So… you were saying..." He trailed off when the moment sobered a little. The former angel looked at him with furrowed brows, but then sighed.

"Father told me that the speed at which my memories return will depend on what I needed to learn. And that I'm going to have the memories I need to."

"What do you mean, 'memories you need to'?"

"Well, I remembered everything before the creation of the other angels, even the one when Lucifer arrived. I didn't know anything other than that before, though." Michael wore an expression Dean had only seen a few times on him, one that didn't belong on a kid. It pained him to see it. 

"And how was it? You know, before the others."

"A little lonely." The kid- no, the archangel, that wasn't the expression of a child- stayed silent as his eyes went out of focus, seeming to remember times long past. When he blinked, however, the look was gone. "Now I have more memories, though most of them are from the responsibilities I had."

"Responsibilities?" Dean arched an eyebrow.

"I was the oldest." They locked eyes as Michael continued. "I think you can relate to that and deduce what it means."

And Dean knew he did. He had just one brother, and sometimes it had been extremely difficult to take care of him when he was younger. All the crap that kept going on in his life didn't help much either. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like to care for thousands of younger siblings. It wasn't something he wanted to give much thought, so Dean shook his head, redirecting the conversation towards Michael.

"But the other archangels helped you, right?" Michael just gave him a _look_ , and yeah, it was really weird seeing that on a kid. Even if Dean had other brothers, (and he did: one half-brother that rotted in hell for more than a year. Good job, Winchester), he would always assume the responsibility of the others.

"They're more flashes than actual memories," Michael continued, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Most of the time, the emotions feel dull and I don't know if it's because I'm a human now and I don't understand the angel perspective anymore, or if it's because it's just a memory."

Michael turned to look at him like Dean had all the answers of the world, and even if it was a little flattering it also scared him. He didn't want to disappoint the child, but he didn't know the answer either.

"Well kid, I don't know how angels perceive things, 'cause I'm not one." _Smooth, Winchester. Really smooth._ "You should ask Balth or Cas next time you see them, okay?"

Michael tilted his head and he kept staring at him. Dean could feel the heat rising on his face at the scrutinizing gaze, but he ignored it as he asked another question, eyes never leaving the windshield.

"So… if most of your memories are about your responsibilities, what are the others?"

"…My brothers." Dean could almost hear the smile on Michael's lips as he answered, "Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel mostly. I've had eight of those so far." _Only eight?_ Dean remembered that Michael once said that he had a minimum of a memory per day. Dean did the math, and realized it meant that out of all the memories Michael had regained, most of them were unhappy ones. Because remembering responsibilities? Not cool. Not cool at all. And Michael's grim expression simply confirmed that. 

Dean cleared his throat, trying to find a lighter topic. 

"Wanna share one of those with me? Or tell me when the last time you had one of those was?" Dean tried to soften his voice so it wouldn't sound like a demand, because he was truly curious. He had already noticed a few days, when Michael awoke happy, almost bouncing in delight. Those days were the ones that Dean noticed exactly how brightly the child could glow.

Dean glanced to his side and saw how Michael watched his profile carefully while he drove, studying his features for signs of a hoax. It seemed he didn't found one, as he answered. 

"Today, when we slept together." And okay, that would have sounded extremely wrong if the archangel hadn't been a child at the moment. "Though I couldn't enjoy it, because of everything that had happened next."

Dean flinched a little, but Michael didn't seem to notice his discomfort. "I remembered the day Lucifer was created. It was one of my happiest memories so far."

"But it' wasn't the first memory you had of Lucifer, right?"

"No, it wasn't." When he didn't elaborate, Dean turned his head slightly. Upon seeing the barely distinguishable smile on Michael's face, he decided not to ask for more.

"Even if you don't have enough happy memories right now, Mike, I'll make sure that while you're here you get more, you hear me? I promise."

Dean mussed Michael's hair, and the child's smile grew as he looked at the hunter, before adding, "Wheel, Dean."

"Oh, shit. Yeah, sorry."

The hunter grasped Baby's wheel with both hands again and sighed, but even with the music on he heard Michael clearly as he quietly added a 'Thanks'.

___

"Hey, my phone is in the glove compartment, could you hand it to me?" Dean said as his fingers thrummed against the wheel in a nervous tic.

"Of course, Dean." Michael opened the drawer and started searching for the device, ignoring the glances the older hunter threw at him every now and then. Michael had thought he knew what Dean was doing at first. From the moment he had turned the car on, the hunter had done everything to distract him. Telling him stories of old hunts, some cooking recipes, what Star Wars was about, terrible bands, good bands, great bands. Michael had chosen to ignore his first attempts, mostly because he was trying to ignore the voice inside his head that grew annoyed by the treatment he was receiving. It was true that he didn't like being treated like a child, but he could understand why Dean was behaving as he was. After all, his body was that of a kid.

Michael let Dean's comments slide and tried instead to engage him in some conversation, to ease the worry in Dean's soul. Even if it calmed down after a few exchanged words, as the time passed, Michael could feel how the hunter's anxiousness grew considerately. He deduced that it was because they were reaching their destination. 

He also realized that Dean's behavior wasn't only caused by his worry for Michael, but for himself as well. For some reason, ever since they reached the border of the city that Lucifer was in, the hunter became uneasy. Michael was forced to repeat the speed limit several times, but it didn't seem to have much effect because after a couple of minutes, the speed always rose again. Michael wondered once more if the hunter's state of mind was a result of Sam's injury or Lucifer residing with him.

He hadn't forgot what had been written in those Supernatural books. That Dean and Sam were preparing themselves to stop a fight between he and his brother. What was that all about? Was Dean afraid of Lucifer? Or did it have something to do with what his father had spoken of?

"You do not need to worry so much, Dean." Michael said, handing him his phone.

"I just need to call Sam, you know?" Dean answered a little too harshly. Once he realized his tone, however, he looked at Michael apologetically, though the frown he had seen thirty minutes ago hadn't faded at all. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you."

"I understand." Dean gave him a dubious look, but continued driving. Michael's eyes never left Dean's frame as he tried to understand what the other was going through better. It wasn't all that different from what he himself was experiencing, and they had both reacted similarly to the situation.

Michael was happy, and anxious, and scared, and there were so many emotions mixed inside of him that he couldn't even begin to name them all. He wanted to see his brother more than anything; the urge to speak to someone who was going through the same kind of trials that plagued him, someone that could understand what it felt like remained prominent in his mind. But that didn't mean he ignored the fact that all the archangels, the elders in charge, had failed so greatly they needed to pass this test so they could return to Heaven. It meant that Michael hadn't taught his brothers properly.

It almost pained him, the need to know what had he done wrong. But something kept whispering to him, telling him that the truth would hurt even more. That didn't change the fact that someone needed to know, so he and his brothers could pass the trials correctly. He didn't want any of his brothers to have to carry the burden of this knowledge, however. He would only allow himself to bear it. 

"Okay, kid. I confirmed the address, we'll be there in ten." Dean's hand kept twitching on the wheel. Michael thought it was another nervous tic on the hunter's part, but when they pulled into the parking lot in front of the motel room, he saw how the hand unconsciously moved towards the gun that was hidden in the back pocket of his jeans. Michael tensed immediately as he realized what it could possibly mean.

"You're going to leave your weapon here, right?" Michael's voice was soothing and a little condescending, the same voice used to calm the crying child after he fell. Dean noticed the change in his tone and raised an incredulous eyebrow, but looked down and noticed where his hand was.

"Oh...wait, no. I'm not going to do anything; it's just-uh, you know, just…"

"Please. Leave the gun, Dean." It seemed like the hunter wanted to snap at Michael again, but his stare didn't waver as they locked eyes. "You have called Balthazar, haven't you?"

Dean blinked three times before his hand went back and retrieved the weapon. He placed the gun in a hidden spot under his seat.

"Happy?" Dean questioned, rolling his eyes.

"Relaxed."

"Uh, yeah? Even now that you're gonna see your brother?" Dean's eyes were truly curious as he stepped out of the car, but his tone held wariness and his posture was tense as he said it.

"I don't know…" Michael hadn't meant to show how tired he felt in his words, but this day had been an exhausting one. The way his mind involuntarily became wary as he walked to the room Dean had signaled didn't help, and neither did the thought that Lucifer may not remember him. 

"Hey, kiddo. Everything's gonna be okay." Dean's smile was sincere but Michael didn't know if the words were meant as a reassurance for him or for Dean's own sake.

"Yes, of course." They didn't believe what the other was saying for a moment, but both still seemed to find comfort in the words.

Michael took a deep breath and held Dean's right hand as the hunter moved his left to knock. 


	5. The reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was fun to see the kid freaking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay~  
> I updated just a week after the previous chapter!  
> *pats herself on the back*

It was fun to see the kid freaking out.

The great Light Bearer, the Bringer of Dawn, the Devil, Satan, and so other many names have been used to describe Lucifer; most of them were used to scare younglings in bed time stories. Balthazar even remembered how the other angels talked about his magnificence with fright and awe at first, how the most beautiful and one of God’s favorites had fallen. Balthazar had been created just a few decades after The Fall, but that didn’t meant that he hadn’t noticed how Lucifer’s actions had caused a great impact in Heaven. Even while seeing the righteous anger angels had in the following battles against Lucifer, they still talked about him with respect, adoration, and perhaps some longing too.

So yes, it was fun to see Lucifer nervous as the innocent child he was now.

He acted as regal as he thought he’d act, with his chin held high and with eyes that showed an indifference that may have fooled the humans that where in the room, but not Balthazar. He could see his soul clearly, he may have tried to look as if nothing important was happening, but the instant the moose mentioned that Michael and Dean were close his soul shone brighter, trembling with emotion. It almost looked like the grace of a lesser angel, something that was surprising and incredible by itself, but his soul had so many colors that not even an angel like Balthazar possessed, he who probably was one of the few that could understand and show better emotions. He didn’t want to imagine how brilliant was when he was an archangel if just as a human it shone like this.

Balthazar blinked, focusing in the TV again; he then turned his head to check the hunters from his spot on the couch. Sam was still changing Bobby’s bandages, so it would be easier to move him later though that meant that he couldn’t takeover babysitting duty for him. Well, at least there was a good movie on, though his mood when a little down when he saw that ‘Titanic’ was also on, he skipped that movie quickly because it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to destroy the TV.

“I do not understand.” A voice said from his left.

“Yeah, well, you’re a kid”

“I am older than you.”

“Actually, no. You were created before but I lived longer than you and considering that you don’t have your memories, it makes me older.” Balthazar was really _really_ trying to be nice and polite; having in mind that he was something reassembling as the archangel’s heavenly maid, but it was hard when the kid kept asking questions and being as annoying as any other kid was. He didn’t care who he was or how bright his soul glowed, it was still annoying.

Though that didn’t meant that he wasn’t cautious around him, or that he didn’t disliked him any less just because he was a kid now, Balthazar couldn’t understand really well what his father had in mind. He and his brothers had lived the consequences of Lucifer’s actions, and he knew that none would forgive him that easy.

He was created after The Fall, yes, but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t experienced less sadness. How even after Lucifer was casted down, most of his brothers still followed him. How Balthazar had to bear with the thought that his garrison and others more, were created only because they needed more soldiers, that they were merely cannon fodder.

Now, after all that had happened, and considering that all the angels that were created at that time were a little different than the others, he had a better understanding of things, but that didn’t erase all the pain he and his brothers felt. And although his father had most of the blame, Lucifer wasn’t an innocent here.

Balthazar spent some time thinking about everything that had occurred in The Fall, analyzing the events while he was in other places of earth, and now thought that perhaps Dad realized at that time that there was a possibility that angels possessed free will because of Lucifer’s rebellion, deciding to create more but making them more capable than the others of making choices. He would need to ask his Father about it; that’s if he ever talked with the old man again.

“I still don’t understand.” Balthazar sighed and resisted the impulse to change the program, but it was a classic he hadn’t seen in years.

“That’s how humans mate, kiddo. They first go to dates and then if everything go swell they have some action and then they marry.”

“Balthazar!” Sam exclaimed horrified, it amused him the expression the young Winchester managed to do. “He’s just a kid!”

“He’s not as young as he seems.” He shrugged. Sam shook his head and seemed ready to speak but Lucifer talked first interrupting him.

“Yes, I understood that it was something similar to animals mating, but that female already knows that he wants to procreate, and it seems that she also wants offspring. They both are intelligent enough to realize that; so why they continue to do this? Isn’t this courtship pointless? ” Balthazar couldn’t avoid grinning at Sam’s incredulous face.

“Well, humans are emotional beings and often want to form a connection between them; they change mates constantly until they found one they’re comfortable with. They do this ‘courtship’ to know if the other is the _‘one’_.” Balthazar snorted at his own words.

“Speak of humans as if we’re mere animals, let’s see if that helps to change the perception he has of us, son.” Bobby murmured, giving glances at the other bottle of scotch he had in his bag.

“The one?” The child asked.

“Yes. The one they can live forever and ever. Happy and riding off into the sunset.”

“So it’s similar to angels’ types of mating? They don’t only search for a way of reproduction but instead look for the one being that would be the indicated for them?”

“No necessarily. Yes, most of them found someone suitable, but others don’t need a mate, or they’re not interested, or perhaps want more than one. Human sex-“

“Okay, that’s enough!” Sam jumped from the place where he was kneeling, hitting Bobby with his elbow and making the old man groan. He turned and apologized, though not before glaring at Balthazar.

He chuckled and glanced at Lucifer who seemed in deep thought. He wouldn’t have considered before that Lucifer, the Devil, would be this curious. Or that he’d get so invested in movies.

 

-ooo-

 

The moment they heard the engine of the impala, Sam stood too quickly, flinching a little because of the pain he probably still felt. He should have healed him before, but they haven't asked and he hadn't offered.

“That must be Dean.” He said.

He never thought he would say this, but he was so relieved that the other angsting brother was already here. He didn’t think that he’d be able to survive anymore with an older grumping guy and an ex-archangel kid anymore. And let’s not talk about the moose.

“I need to go to the bathroom.” Great, now the kid would hide in there. Balthazar sighed. He could take certain dose of drama for a day, but not too much.

“Uh, now? Michael is coming; don’t you want to see him?” That’s why he told him to not teach the kid how to go to the bathroom, or at least not yet, it was obvious that he would do something like this eventually.

“Yes.”

“Winchester, you’re really dense if you haven’t noticed yet.” Balthazar stood, ignoring Sam’s frowning face as he walked. It was obvious that the younger Winchester hadn’t perceived Lucifer’s mood. He couldn’t understand how they managed to stop the Apocalypse if he was the smarter one.

Already in front of the door, he grabbed the handle and looked over his shoulder as he opened the door with a quick maneuver, showing a shocked Dean with his hand still in the air, though the hunter recovered from his surprise fast enough.

But whatever grip of calm he managed to obtain wasn’t enough for the sight that was Lucifer, because he spent a couple of seconds just blinking at him, that seems to be the usual effect the ex-archangel’s soul provoked in others.

He had seen before from the corner of his eye how Lucifer moved at Sam’s side when he stood, and now that he turned to check him he realized that the kid was now holding tightly from the hunter’s pants, trying to look confident even when his body moved unconsciously closer to Sam’s back with slightly widened eyes. Balthazar’s curiosity won as he saw Lucifer’s panic, and he couldn’t avoid to brush his grace on the kid’s mind so he could heard his thoughts.

_‘Would he be mad at me?’_

The kid noticed, of course. He glared at him and Balthazar felt how he pushed his grace, thought it felt more like a sting of a flea; he could easily ignore it, but he backed back off, respecting his privacy. Lucifer’s eyes fixed to the door again when Michael approached, walking next to Dean. This kid didn’t seem any better. They just held their looks silently, as everything around them seemed to go silent, expecting the blowup. The calm before the storm, as humans say.

Balthazar was unaffected, he was the only one who could see their souls and confirm that they didn’t have any powers or something like it. But the others looked worried and it was understandable, considering everything that happened before. Dean was tense, ready to attack and to protect Michael as he kept looking at Lucifer, waiting for his next move. Sam seemed troubled between trying to help Lucifer or go with his brother, and Bobby just looked between them warily.

“Lucifer?” At the mention of his name the kid’s soul flinched slightly, but advanced a few steps confidently.

“Michael.” Lucifer greeted in a soft voice, he then stopped and shifted his feet a little, the first sign of nervousness he had show so far, before he advanced tentatively towards Michael. The emotions he could taste in the air coming from the adults was so dense that Balthazar would be throwing up right now if he weren’t an angel, it was a surprise that the kids didn’t notice.

“Are you mad at me?” Lucifer asked, or more like blurted.

He could understand the confusion that came after the question came out, he didn’t even know what had made Lucifer think that Michael was mad at him. Perhaps it had something to do with his last memory?

Michael tilted his head and frowned, obviously as confused as them, but he seemed to notice how nervous Lucifer was because he smiled reassuringly at him before taking the step that separated them from each other to fix the blonde’s hair with a hand. “I would never be mad at you, Lucifer.”

The kid visibly relaxed at the words and in a startling motion he threw himself against Michael and hugged him tightly, pressing his nose on his brother’s neck as kept mumbling. Michael only rubbed circles on his back as he listened, resting his cheek on Lucifer’s head. The others were surprised at the display of affection, even Balthazar was.

_‘… told me I did something wrong…”_

Balthazar calibrated his hearing so he’d hear like a normal human. For some reason it seemed like trespassing to hear the soft words that they exchanged. He even felt uncomfortable just by watching, and could see that the others felt that way too, as they looked at each other for something to do.

“Everything is going to be okay. You did nothing wrong.”

Balthazar pursed his lips, swallowing the remark he wanted to give. The words seemed to be the encouragement the others needed to search more intently for an excuse.

“Uhm. I will put my bag in the car” That was Sam’s clever escape. Dean seemed alarmed as he still kept looking around.

“You help me to stand up, ya idjt.” Dean’s relieved face towards that statement was hilarious, but somehow it didn’t make him laugh, because Lucifer now was beaming in excitement as he grabbed Michael’s hand and guided him towards the couch to show him the TV and the remote, how they both worked. The other kid was silent, smiling as he heard his younger brother talk. His soul was calm and happy as he followed his instructions.

It was strange.

After all, they were Michael and Lucifer. Michael: The Chief Commander, the severe leader, the strategist. The unemotional. And Lucifer: The Great Deceiver, The Devil, The Serpent, the jealous and prideful one, the one that eventually made the grace of an angel crawl just by mentioning its name.

But now they were just talking. Lucifer awed at Michael while he taught him other things to do with the remote. The little Devil taking the remote from the other’s hands to show him what he had learnt and what he did wrong, and then Michael is giving him a pat on his head, earned him a scowl from Lucifer.

Balthazar was silent as he observed them, confused for the first time in decades about the emotions he was feeling. Was like this when there were no humans? When there were no wars in Heaven? Before Lucifer decided to defy their father? Was like this when they were mere brothers and not soldiers?

He wouldn’t know.

After all, he was created when it all already had started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the last chapter I wrote, I mean, the story will still keep going but I a few weeks ago I wrote like four chapter in a couple of days and I only needed to re-read them and add some stuff while I corrected my grammar. I got too confident and forgot to keep writing. I've the idea in my head, but I was/am/ lazy.  
> So the next chapter will come later next week (I also forgot to keep writing my other WIP's) or it'll probably take more time...  
> I can still add some stories to the plot, so if you've an idea for some brotherly moment between Lucifer and Michael, just let me now :D


	6. A new hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He knew that if they stayed inside the car any longer Dean would have shot Lucifer, because apparently after a few hours of travel the car lost the label of ‘what an amazing invent’ and turned into an ‘Are we there yet?’. The constant bickering between Michael and Lucifer about the speed of the car didn’t help either to anyone’s nerves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it took me so long to update this!

Sam looked down once again and placed the blanket close to the boys’ bodies. Lucifer lay on Sam’s lap while Michael’s head was pressed against his arm; his little hand on top of his brother’s head. It was still amazing to see the boys already asleep considering how long had it take them to get into that state.

Lucifer kept asking nonstop while Michael slowly and patiently explained about the things he had learnt, sometimes they played, others they argue. Lucifer always looking at his older brother with such wonder that Sam couldn’t avoid thinking if that had been the same face he had put when he was young and asked Dean something, expecting to hear more stories and instructions he could complete; ready to please his brother so that way he could be like him one day. Those innocent days in his youth when he still thought that Dean had all the answers of the world.

Michael must have been for Lucifer what Dean was for him, if the looks on Lucifer’s face were something to go by.

The kid mumbled, rubbing his head against his leg, making Sam smile. He couldn’t understand the words but he wasn’t worried of the meaning because Lucifer spoke them with a faint smile on his lips.

“How are they going?” Dean whispered from the front seat, careful to not wake the kids as he kept giving careful looks to the backseat every once in a while, looking in the retriever mirror. He had looked worried the first times, protective of Michael and him by being around Lucifer.

“Well, they’re now quiet.”

“Yeah, finally.” Dean scoffed but he frowned when Michael moved closer to Sam. He raised a questioned eyebrow to his brother but Dean simply gave him a glare that meant that he didn’t want to talk.

Usually Michael never was far from Dean, but Sam has noticed how the kid has been acting careful around them since both he and his brother had entered into the motel room; he at first thought that it only was because of Lucifer being there, but then the kid had been the one who came with the idea of how to place them in the car, deciding that he should be behind with Lucifer, instead of sticking off with Dean.

Michael had seemed to notice how everyone but Sam was suspicious of Lucifer. Sam didn’t want to ask how the kid knew that the atmosphere was kind of heavy between Dean and his brother. Luckily Bobby had started to calm down about the issue of having the kid there before Balthazar took him to his house; finally realizing that Lucifer didn’t have any powers or memory.

 

\--000--

 

They stopped for lunch after four hours of travel; Michael smiled when he saw that half of Lucifer’s hair was muffled caused for the drive and Sam’s jeans. He snorted as he stroked the kid’s hair, receiving a glare from him and an odd look from Dean.

They sat close to the windows; Michael wanted to give Lucifer an introduction to the marvelous world of pancakes; Dean accepted even though it was lunch time, Sam thought that he was trying to compensate Michael for something; but if the ‘thanks’ he received from the child without look at him was a clue, the kid hadn’t noticed.

“What if while you boys wait, I go to fill the tank?” Michael didn’t answer as he kept telling Lucifer what was the best food from the menu. Sam tried to hide his laugh with a cough that made Lucifer look at him.

“Want to give me a hand, Sammy?” Sam’s laugh died on his throat as he looked at his brother like he had just grown a second head.

“What?”

“The car, Sam.” He said with a forced smile, standing up.

“But Dean, the kids-“ He tried to reason but his brother cut him off.

“Will be in our line of sight. The tank is just in front.” The pointed glare made him stop any other questions. Sam motioned the kids to stay put and thankfully Michael started to explain when Lucifer asked what the importance of having a full tank was.

“What the hell are you doing?” Dean asked when they were on a spot where it was hard for the boys to listen and easy for them to check them.

“I don’t know what you’re talking-“

“Oh, cut the crap, Sam.” Dean interrupted. “What is that act that you’ve around the frigging Devil?”

“He’s now just a kid, Dean.” Sam explained slowly. “An innocent, who hasn’t done anything yet, kid. Weren’t you the one to say that we should treat Michael as if he were another normal kid?”

“Yeah, but that’s different!” Dean ran a hand through his hair in exasperation, looking at the window of the diner.

“Different how?” He asked stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest and not giving into any of Dean’s bullshit.

“Because of the way you look at the kid!” He sneered. “And he’s freaking glowing, normal kids don’t glow! That should be our first clue that something is weird here.”

Sam couldn’t help but get annoyed. “Have you forgotten about Lucifer’s fame in Heaven?”

“And what that has to do with everything, exactly?!” Dean raised both of his eyebrows.

“Just think about it, Dean. Chuck told you that he had created their souls based on their grace, right?” He waited until Dean rolled his eyes and gave him a ‘continue, nerd’ gesture. “Okay, well, then maybe because his grace was so brilliant when he was an angel, it’d be obvious that his soul would be the same. So maybe what we see is his soul shinning through his body.”

“That doesn’t make any difference.” Dean scoffed, grabbing the hose from the impala and closing the fuel door angrily.

“Why not?” He shrugged. “He’s just a kid. There is no difference between him and-”

“Because he wore you. Dammit!” His brother shouted, Sam stepped back and glanced over his shoulders to see the kids. Lucifer was still reading and he couldn’t see Michael’s face.

He looked at his brother again. “What th-“

“I don’t know how you can act so normal around that frigging kid, when because of him you had to do a flip into the Cage.” He pointed a finger at his chest. “You should feel angry, not me.”

“Have you forgotten that it was Michael who wanted the Apocalypse too?”

“I haven’t.” Dean sighed before he rubbed tiredly a hand against eyes. “But I’m not the one doing doe eyes at him every time he smiles; and that sure as hell is not because he’s glowing. I can see that too and I’m not acting like you do, so what’s the problem, Sam?”

Sam tried to shrug it off as if it was nothing, but Dean didn’t buy it.

“Sam.” His tone was hard.

“Yeah, okay. I don’t know why I feel that way. It seems that Balthazar knew something, but said that it wasn’t important.”

“And now you’re trusting in Balthazar too?”

“Yes, I do. And I know that you too.” Sam cut him off when he tried to deny it. “Or at least, you trust Cas, Dean. And you know that he would come to check on us if he didn’t trust Balth, he wouldn’t care that he was God’s secretary now.”

Dean looked at the side, smiling faintly. “I know, and I still think that something is wrong with him because of that.”

“Yeah, well, he’s our friend. He cares about us the same we care about him.”

“Okay, okay, I know. He’s family and all, but Cas can be too trusting sometimes, so we’re still going to call him and ask him about this.”

Dean took his wallet out from his pocket and paid, walking towards the diner. Sam shook his head but followed him.

“And don’t think that I haven’t noticed that you’re all prissy because of Michael, dude.” Sam spoke to Dean’s back.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever it is, fix it and don’t take it with me.”

 

\--000--

 

It took them another five hours more to reach Bobby’s house and Sam got out of the impala with a sigh of relief, leaning next to the car’s door. He knew that if they stayed inside the car any longer Dean would have shot Lucifer, because apparently after a few hours of travel the car lost the label of ‘what an amazing invent’ and turned intoan ‘Are we there yet?’. The constant bickering between Michael and Lucifer about the speed of the car didn’t help either to anyone’s nerves.

“We’d be already hours ago if Dean had speeded up.” Lucifer said he stepped out, inspecting the cars around him with curiosity.

“We’re humans now and we’ve to take care of our bodies. A car accident could kill us.” Michael placed a hand in front of Lucifer’s own to stop him from grabbing a piece of broken metal. “Be careful.”

“I don’t think Father will let us get killed if we got-“ Dean groaned.

“I’m begging you. Shut up, please.” The front door of Bobby’s house opened, stopping Dean’s moanings. Jody was there with a hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow at Dean’s grateful face.

“Jody! You don’t know how happy I’m to see you!” He held Lucifer from his waist, making him yelp, and extended the boy to Jody’s arms. Her eyes widened at first, but she grabbed the kid. “Now I need a beer.”

Sam and Jody looked at his brother as he went inside the house; she turned to see him, a question on her lips, but Sam spoke first. “Don’t even ask.”

“Who are you?” Lucifer asked, looking at her with curiosity.

“My name’s Jody Mills, kid.” She answered with a smile, glancing at Sam briefly as she continued. “You must be…”

“Lucifer.” Michael completed the sentence, looking closely Jody’s face. She frowned at him and gave another pointed stare at Sam before turning towards Lucifer.

“What a unique name.” She simply responded.

“It means morning star in this language.” Lucifer said, Michael nodded and walked past them.

“I didn’t know that.” She went inside too; Sam waited a little more and rolled his shoulders before he decided to follow her. He needed to drink a beer too.

“I think I need to go to the bathroom.” He heard Lucifer say as Jody put him on the floor.

“Do you want me to help you?” Sam asked as he went to the kitchen, finding his brother leaned against the counter, enjoying one of Bobby’s whiskies.  

“I’ll help him.” Michael said, showing Lucifer where the bathroom was. Sam nodded and received the glass his brother offered him.

“It seems that you two had fun.” Jody said, laughing when Dean glared at her.

“Kids are not easy.” Dean pointed. “Less if you have a gun at your disposition.”

“Tell me something I don’t know, boy.”

“But we're not going to kill them” Sam said to his brother; and then giving Jody a curious glance he tried to ask. “Haven’t you noticed that, uh, Lucifer…”

“Makes you want to smile? Yes, Bobby warned me about it.” She said. "But he's still a normal kid for what he had told me."

"Well, as normal as Michael is." Sam conceded with a smile.

“Right now I don’t care about their weirdness, I just hope that the trip have made them tired enough to want to sleep again.” Dean made a mock of a toast.

"Don't get your hopes high if you've let them sleep in the car." Jody grabbed a cup and walked towards the fridge, serving some juice in it.

“Not that I don’t appreciate that you’re here, Jody. But don't you work today?” Sam nodded towards her uniform, she didn't look down as she answered.

“Yes, but I met a hunter in a case I had in Aberdeen and we thought that we might need Bobby’s help with it.”

“You met a hunter?” Sam asked.

“One learns how to distinguish them just by the questions they ask.” She scoffed. “Though this guy isn't what I expected from your folk.”

Dean raised an eyebrow but his tone was serious when he asked for his name.

“Hey, I met two kids in the bathroom. One of them had a really strange name-“ A guy’s voice reached them from the living room, but he stopped talking when he saw Sam and his brother in the kitchen. Dean’s hand moved towards his back when the guy came closer, a big smile accompanying the happy glint on his eyes.

“You must be the Winchesters!” He said in a very joyful tone, Sam tensed when the guy hugged him. “I’ve heard so many stories about you, guys.”

“Oh, no, no. I don’t do hugs, pal.” Dean said when the guy turned towards him.

“Oh, come on. Everyone does hugs.” Jody’s hand on his shoulder stopped him from receiving a possible bullet from Dean.

“Sam, Dean.” Jody said nodding towards them, her lips twitching. “This is Garth.”


	7. Demons?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He took a glance at the table as he took another one, his frown deepening; it disturbed him how official the photos looked, numbers indicating the each possibly clue; they looked made from the FBI or some governmental agency like them. It was too clinical. Too surreal. How Bobby had managed to get these?

"Where were you?" Sam asked once Bobby entered the room while Dean was trying to stand as far as possibly of Garth. He didn’t trust the guy yet, even though he had heard Bobby mentioning exasperatedly sometimes, as he constantly helped him over the phone, his surprise about how the guy hadn't got himself killed.

But still. The overjoyed attitude he possessed was too odd for a hunter.

Dean wanted to make a joke about how he was already too old that he was starting to walk slower, but Bobby's cautious expression was the warning he needed about how serious the case was. Even Garth sobered when the file was placed on the table.

“I was checking what I got with some books.” He looked at Garth when he spoke.

"How bad is it?" Sam was looking at the old hunter instead of the file as his hand moved to grab it.

Jody scoffed. "Well, they returned me here because the FBI was going to take it. That bad."

“Sure is a case for us then?” Dean frowned.

Bobby scratched his beard and sighed. “It almost looks like a serial killer work, but it’s definitely a hunter’s job. No witnesses.”

Dean leant closer to his brother to look over his shoulder, curious. But the sound of Michael and Lucifer's footsteps make them both look up.

He raised an eyebrow at Bobby and then took a glance to the file, to see if it was okay to talk in front of them; but the older hunter shook his head.

"The room we passed was ours?"

"Yes, but it’ll be better if I showed you around before we go there."

"And then we can read all those books?"

"Bobby told me it was okay but only if we showed him which one first." Michael answered Lucifer as they kept coming closer. "Though Dean told me that it was forbidden to read parenting magazines."

A hint of a smile was forming on Dean’s lips, forgetting about the case for a moment, as he remembered telling that to Michael; as usual the boy took his words at heart.

They locked eyes for a second when he stepped into the kitchen, before both of the kids halted instantly, Michael being the first to look up. His posture was tense as he frowned at all the faces, his body unconsciously moving slightly in front of Lucifer, who simply raised an eyebrow looking casual and smooth as a leaf; but Dean, being one who had trained since young age, noticed how tense he really was.

Dean was confused before he remembered that both of them could see their souls. Bobby’s stance when he came had been the trigger to them, making them wary, as normal cases didn’t affect anymore the older hunter.

He gave Michael a look, hoping that the kid wasn’t too pissed at him to ignore him, before Dean pointed at the file on the table with a nod; the kid tilted his head and relaxed visibly. "I think it'd be preferably if I showed you around now, Lucifer."

"Not that I'm not curious to roam around, but why they don't want us here?" He saw from the corners of his eyes how Sam's lips twitched at Lucifer's bluntness.

"Is not as if we don't want you here." Dean managed a smile, ready to defend themselves, but Lucifer's raised eyebrow, daring him to prove him wrong, stopped him from continuing.

Michael turned his head to address his brother. "It comforts them to think that they're protecting us from information they think is not appropriate for us."

At Lucifer's questioning look, Michael added signaling his body. "It’s because of the age of these forms."

The answer didn't seem to please Lucifer, and for one moment, he thought that the kid would say some excuse to stay in the kitchen, wanting to know what they had in mind; but Michael placed a hand on the Devil’s shoulder and told him that he wanted to show him how a laptop worked; Lucifer grew slightly curious as Michael started to explain what things the machine was capable of. Glancing at Sam, the older of the kids asked silently for permission and, when he obtained it, they left the room.

Dean frowned as he looked as the small backs retreating; Michael hadn’t stood close from him this time either.

He returned his attention to the others when he heard Jody clearing subtly her throat, not knowing when he had moved towards the kitchen door. He saw from the corner of his eye how Sam was already looking into the file; his eyes were hard as he placed the photos on top of the surface.

"Do we know what it is?” Dean asked as he leant on the table, placing his weight on a hand to have a better view. He grabbed one of the pictures with his free hand, having his answer even before Bobby said 'demons', the demonic marks on the walls were too obvious.

He took a glance at the table as he took another one, his frown deepening; it disturbed him how official the photos looked, numbers indicating the each possibly clue; they looked made from the FBI or some governmental agency like them. It was too clinical. Too surreal. How Bobby had managed to get these?

He tore his eyes away from the table and concentrated in the picture in hand, his grip on the paper tightened when he involuntarily thought ‘ _beautiful’_ as he recognized the style.

He felt his fingers go cold as his blood preferred to concentrate to fasten the beat of his heart than to warm his hands. Panic rose inside him.

_"Everything will stop. I’ll take care of you, I can teach you, Dean. You only need to say yes. "_

He closed his eyes, wanting to throw up, wanting to caress one of the photos with a finger. He placed a hand on his mouth to stop the smile that wanted to form; he took a few deep breaths to calm himself instead.

Dean looked into all the images that were close from him; wanting to find something that would tell him that it wasn't what he thought. That Alistair wasn’t alive. Sam told him that he had killed him.

He shrugged the hand on his shoulder that belonged to his brother and turned towards Bobby. "There wasn't any mark or something on the bodies?"

“Yes.” Bobby was cautious when he showed him a book with a couple of photos in it. "This mark was found on the tongue of every victim, I had tried to search for something that matches but nothing so far."

Dean sighed in relief once he saw it, grabbing the beer he had left on the table with slightly trembling hands, finishing it all in one gulp. He could feel his knees weak, but he didn't sit, noticing already the questioning looks on him.

It wasn’t the signature he knew so well, it looked familiar though.

"Dean-" Sam started.

"You won't find anything either." He ran a hand through his hair. It didn’t matter to whom it belonged, just that it wasn’t Alastair’s. "Is just a signature tortures do to mark their...” He wasn’t sure what word to use. “ _‘victims’_."

"Tortures?" Garth's eyebrows rose.

He snorted. "Yeah, they think it's funny when they choke with their blood as they try to scream because of it."

"And you know this...?" Jody started to ask.

"The question here is why are Hell tortures topside?" Dean looked away, trying to focus the topic in the case instead of him, but by throwing a glance at Sam he knew that he wouldn't forget about it until Dean spat his guts.

So he was very grateful when Bobby spoke.

"We don't know that yet." The older hunter placed some more photos with marks on top of others. "These are others that had happened in other parts of the country too."

Dean looked up at that. "Since when has all this started?"

"For Garth's intel I would say less than a month, but the FBI hid it really well since the beginning so who knows." They all turned towards the goofy hunter, who simply gave a lopsided smile.

"How did you find it?" Sam asked.

His smile broadened "I met someone who is good with computers a while ago."  

Dean couldn't help but think in Ash. "A hunter?"

He shook his head. "No, I met her in a online game we both play."

"She's a civil?" Sam’s eyebrows almost touched his hairline, strange thing to see considering the big forehead his brother had.

Garth smile fell a little. "Well, she helped me once with a necromancer."

"You took a civil to a hunt?" Dean couldn’t help but ask.

"She was the best shooter in our team! She never needed potions to recuperate life or anything." His chest puffed in pride. “She didn’t believe me at first, but after seeing the zombies…”

"The point is that the info seemed correct." Bobby pointed at the files with a sigh, rubbing his face with a hand.

“Well, there is nothing to do now,” Sam shook his head. “Tomorrow we head there to see it for ourselves, hoping to find anything new.”

“I’ll ask if there’s something new.” Garth said as he took his phone out and moved a little away.

“Sam. You can't go." Dean whispered harshly, not being able to erase the smirk that formed on his lips. "Don't remember? Lucifer needs you."

Sam looked at the kitchen’s door before turning to look at him, his jaw tightening. "Dean-"

"No, no. Don't give me that bitchface. You did the same when Michael came." Dean was already moving towards the door, not giving his brother the chance to speak back. "I'm going to take a shower, I’m not hungry."

-          -

Dean remembered clearly his days in Hell, hard to forget a place where he had lived more time than on earth itself, but he had buried those memories deep inside of him. The memories didn’t even came that often now, they were just glimpses of blood, red hot searing pain in a good day, and they’re good considering how the first days he woke up chocking roughly, the taste of brimstone still lingering in his throat. He didn’t want to recall those memories though this time he might need them.

Alastair had showed him the work of many tortures, wanting to teach Dean the difference between slashing some cuts at someone to make him feel pain and the art torture could be. And Dean had learnt it so well. It ashamed him how his years in Hell had changed him, but so far he had hid it so well. Not saying out loud his thoughts when he and his brother saw a body.

‘I could have done it without splashing blood everywhere.’

Or how the screams of the people they save made him want to close his eyes to enjoy the symphony. But so far he hadn’t met anyone who could made look a body like a painted canvas as Alastair did when he was the one torturing. The work he had seen in those photos were good, clean cuts in the right places to make someone suffer the most incredible pain, not wasting unnecessary energy. There were few that could imitate Alastair’s style as well as the work he had seen in those photos showed.

He could count them with a hand. Less of a half of a hand. And he was himself included in that short list.

-          -

"You can't go alone." Sam said once he stepped outside the bathroom. He rolled his eyes and continued walking towards his room to pack up everything he needed for tomorrow.

"I'm a grown up, Sammy. And there's a job to do." Sam followed him. "You told me before that I needed to stay like a waiting housewife when you went out in hunts because of Michael." Dean turned and gave him a tight smile. "Well, the kid is already used to be without me, Lucifer though..."

Sam's lips were pursed. "It was Alastair, right?"

Dean blinked at the sudden change of topic.

"You recognized something in those photos, Dean. I’ve only see you like these when we were fighting him before.”

"Sam..." Was Dean's only warning, his voice coming more croaked than he would have liked. Sam seemed to notice it as he sighed, his arms falling to the sides, his puppy eyes going in full mode.

"Dean, I know we never talked about this. We didn't had much time with the entire apocalypse-"

"And there's nothing to talk about." Dean’s voice was tight. "That happened almost two years ago and I was fine then, I'm fine now. We're not having a moment, Sam."

"Why you always have to-" Sam stopped; he rubbed his face with a hand and sighed. "Dean, you don't need to tell me if you don't want to, but at least explain me what it has to do with the case. There are lives at the stake here."

Dean wanted to ignore his brother, but his teeth clenched as the photos he had saw flashed through his mind.

He turned and gave Sam his back, continuing to pack his things, feeling perfectly his brother’s glare making a hole on his head.

"That style was the same Alastair used to torture." He started. "But the mark wasn't his; it was from other demon that was under his wing." Dean swallowed; he threw a glance at his brother. The obvious ‘Like me’ was unsaid, but rang clearly around them.

"I don't know what she's doing here though; I thought that she would be the new head torturer after Alastair's death."

Sam's silence only lasted for a few seconds. "You know if she was a Lucifer follower too?"

Dean looked over his shoulder. "Dude, we didn't stop to talk about politics or something."

"Yes, I know." Sam rolled his eyes. "But maybe she escaped like Meg and is against Crowley."

"Beats me." Dean shrugged. "I've a knife with her name on it and that's all I care.”

“Though if she is on earth because of Crowley, it can be that this is all for fun?"

“What do you mean?” Dean raised an eyebrow.

“She has been in Hell torturing for a long time, right?” Sam scratched the back of his neck. “Well, don’t you think she would do the same once on earth?”

“She’s smart.” He said. “If she was trying to hide, I don’t think that she would make it too obvious.”

Dean raised an eyebrow at Sam's thoughtful face."So the moment is over now?"

Sam scoffed. "Yeah, Dean, the moment is over. But if you ever need someone to talk to-"

"You already said it was over; don't make me punch you, Sammy."

Sam crossed his arms over his chest. “You know, I didn’t come here just for this.”

“What do you mean?” Dean frowned.

“Well, Garth received some news and something came off and for some reason they doubled the security in some information.” Sam sighed. “She thinks is some video that the security camera of the place recorded. His friend needs to make contact with one of the laptops of one of the FBI guys to obtain it."

"What? This is not a normal case!" Dean practically shouted. "Did he have told her to back off?"

"He said that she was really stubborn." Sam shrugged. "You’re going out in an hour."

“And you just told me now?”

Sam was grinning as he walked towards the door. “I’ve already packed most of your stuff in the car; the only thing that’s left is your clothes to pack.”

Dean huffed. “Bitch.”

"Jerk." Dean returned to pack his stuff again, not noticing when Sam's head popped from the door.

"Oh, right! I'll help Lucifer to shower and Michael is already making their beds to sleep, you can take that chance to talk with him."

He had already retreated by the time Dean threw the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know. It has been a long time since the last time I updated. In my defense, my classes started and I was really busy trying to get used to this schedule and all the work I had to do.  
> Oh, well. I really hope you liked it; This chapter came too long (I think it was the influence of my Samifer fic that keeps getting longer with each chapter) but thanks to that I'll be able to have more time to write my other WIPs. I've two more chapters of this story already written yay~  
> But if you want me to write a short chapter with some Sam and Lucifer bonding just tell me, or well, I can continue with Dean finally talking with Michael.  
> (And please help me with a better title for this chapter)


	8. A little talk always helps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean blinked, his bravado forgotten for a moment, he was surprised by seeing that expression on his face. He wondered if Michael was trying to put an act or something, trying to gloat that he was far more mature than him.

“Why do you want to shower Lucifer?” Michael frowned while Lucifer kept researching in all his stuff for something to wear to sleep. Sam’s mind was already working in something to make Dean and Michael talk, he had a vague idea of what had happened but he wasn’t entirely sure.

Dean was already tense about the case, it would be better if he could at least help his brother so he’d have something less to worry.

“Well, he has to shower. He isn’t used to get dirty so he wasn’t careful while playing like you did.”

“It’s not my fault that that dog wanted to jump on me.” Lucifer walked towards them, a little shirt and pants were on his hands.

Michael turned towards his brother. “Yes, it seems that animals react to your radiance by wanting to be close to you.”

“I also smell like those old books and I don’t like it.” Lucifer was scrunching his nose while he talked.

“I’m not saying that you don’t need a shower, Lucifer.” Michael looked at Sam directly with pursed lips. “I’m just wondering why Sam wants to help you.”

 _It was as if Michael wanted to do it._ Sam blinked, he hadn’t really thought about how this was the first day Michael had seen Lucifer since losing his memories. A resigned smile was forming on his lips as his brain was trying to think in other plan to make Sam and Michael talk. “You want to help Lucifer shower?”

“Of course not.” Michael didn’t even hesitate while answering. “I was just wondering.”

Sam was silent for long seconds; his brain was trying to catch up with what he had heard. “Uhm, what?”

“Lucifer always wet my wings every time we were close to water and although my wings are a metaphysical representation, the hydrogen of the water makes it uncomfortable to fly.”

Lucifer looked up, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “My memories don’t go that far but it seems as something I would do.”

“So what’s your reason?” Michael asked again, his eyes looked as if he was really a kid.

“Uhm, well.” Yeah, it’d be better if he said the truth. “Dean wants to talk with you.”

Or at least part of the truth.

-          -

Dean wanted to groan when he heard the knock on his door, not ten minutes after Sam had left, but he didn’t because when he looked up, ready to shout some profanities, he saw Michael already walking towards his bed and sitting on it as if he was in his own room.

"Sam said you wanted to talk to me about something, Dean." Now Dean did groan.

"We already talked about this. Don't believe in what Sam tells you so easily."

"You don't need to talk to me then?" Michael tilted his head.

Dean looked at the kid, giving him his best smile, capable to charm every waitress in the country. "Sorry, kiddo. But no."

Michael remained unfazed by his smile; it was a slightly terrifying sight to see on a kid. It held some power, the same you see in a general. Even with all the time they had spent together Dean hadn't got used to see it.

"You seem distressed." He spoke softly. "I've noticed you were tense before, but this is different. Have something happened since I retreated with Lucifer?"

Dean licked his lips. "Are you looking into my soul?"

“I can always see your soul.” He answered with the calm of an adult, his hand rested on his arm as if Dean was a small child that needed to calm down. "But if it makes you feel better, I’m not looking into it.”

It felt like he was losing territory in this conversation, something that shouldn’t happen, considering that he was the real grown up here. He puffed his chest a bit to make himself look taller. Michael merely smiled in amusement at his attempts, a little movement of lips that no one who didn't knew him enough would be able to notice.

Dean blinked, his bravado forgotten for a moment, he was surprised by seeing that expression on his face. He wondered if Michael was trying to put an act or something, trying to gloat that he was far more mature than him.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat next to the kid. "It was because I still had another gun when we went to see Lucifer?"

Michael titled his head in confusion, but after a second he seemed to realize what Dean meant as his brow wrinkled in surprise; his hand falling to his side.

Dean’s eyes widened. "You didn't know?"

"No, Dean. I didn't." Michael said in a tight tone. And it was a little funny to see the expression of someone scolding a little kid, in... Well, a kid.

"Then why were you mad at me? I thought it was because of that."

Michael huffed. "Why would I be mad at you if I didn’t know this before?”

"The hell if I know! You were the one who- y'know..." He shrugged, unsure what to tell. He didn't have an explanation to give without making it sound odd. He just knew Michael, and he had noticed he had been acting weird since they met Lucifer in that room.

"I don't know what you are trying to say." Michael apologized.

Dean frowned down at him, trying to see if he could found some trace of sarcasm. There was nothing.

"You didn't move close to me since we left that room, I thought you were pissed at me because of the gun." Dean's jaw tightened; annoyed that he had to say that out loud. He rolled his eyes. "But it seems that it's not the case, right?"

Michael touched his arm once more. “Oh, I haven’t noticed that the absence of my pres-“

Dean leant his head with both hands and groaned. “Oh, God. Please, stop it.”

“Dean?”

“Just tell me what’s the problem, Mike.”

Michael stayed quiet, Dean saw from the corner of his eye how his lips pursed; and it wasn’t until he turned his head completely to see him better that the kid spoke.

“You were tense around Lucifer,” He said. “I wanted to keep you away from him, separated, so no issues will form between you two.”

“Hey! I wasn’t tense, is just that he’s new here. And I’m not so good with, uh, kids?”

Michael looked blankly at him. “You’re great with kids, Dean. And the first time I turned you were wonderful; it was the fact that it was Lucifer the one that you had to deal with that caused the problem, am I right?”

“What? No-“

“Dean, you couldn’t even keep your gun away. That proves something.” Michael stopped him; his eyes clearly saying ‘don’t dare to lie to me’. “I just wanted to protect my brother.”

Dean scoffed. “Yeah, kiddo. Hard to not notice. You act like his frigging bodyguard.”

“And I also didn’t want a fight to start between both of you.” Michael looked up at him. “I enjoy spending time with you, but Lucifer is my brother. I wouldn’t want to choose a side.”

Dean blinked at him, incredulous of what he had just heard. It was as if it would really hurt him to pick a side. Perhaps he had acted a little childish in this situation. Sam and Bobby had already told him that Lucifer was okay, that he was just a normal kid. Or at least the most normal you can get from an ex-archangel. But instead of giving a try, Dean had been ready to judge.

“Dean?” Michael asked when he still remained silent.

“Don’t worry, I’ll try, kiddo.” Dean smiled as he pat his hair with a sigh. “I’m just being paranoid.”

Michael’s brow wrinkled slightly. “Yes, I know that most of you are not so fond of Lucifer.”

“Did you read it in one of Bobby’s books?” Dean was fast to ask, wariness was starting to settle at the knowing look Michael had. But the kid shook his head; there was some tiredness in that gesture.

Dean thought that he wasn’t going to answer but something seemed to convince him to do it when he looked up. “It was in one of those Supernatural books that Ben had.”

“What?” He tensed. “I told you to not read it!”

Michael blinked, surprised. It was amazing how he could already interpret clearly the few and small expressions the kid showed.

He clenched his teeth when Michael tilted his head. Dean knew that he hadn’t, explicitly, told the kid something like it, but Michael had noticed how annoyed he was to learn that Lisa and Ben knew that part of his life because of those books. He was smart enough to realize that he didn’t want anyone to know without his permission. It was a plus that at least the kid didn’t try to defend himself.

“I merely read the synopsis of the books.” Michael’s casted his eyes away from him. “But it was enough to trigger some of my memories.”

Dean’s head turned sharply at that. “What kind of memories?”

“It wasn’t anything too concrete, they were more like flashes. Orders, emotions, an angel burnt by my hand… My father gone.” The kid answered honestly, closing his eyes for a moment; when he opened them they were mirrors of sadness and loneliness. He couldn’t help but remember the first day he looked at himself after going out from Hell. “They were strong and painful. I don’t know if I wish to remember something more.”

Dean now had an explanation about why Michael came into his room that night, looking so young and, for the first time, according to his age; but that wasn’t the Michael he had got to know and respect. He stood up quickly when an idea occur him. He searched inside some drawers until he found the cell phone.

“Here.” Dean knelt in front of him and gave him the device to Michael. “I wanted to give you this before, but I constantly forgot about it.”

“It’s your phone.” He said.

“Not anymore, now is yours.” Michael looked up, his eyes widening and for a moment Dean could swear that he saw the kid glow as Lucifer did the first time he met him. But the charm was lost when he returned his glance down to caress the screen of the phone softly. As if it were something important and not just a normal cell phone.

He cleared his throat. “My number is the first on the speed dial.”

“Sam already taught me how to use one.” Michael smiled. “Thanks, Dean.”

“Yeah, well. Now if you need something you can call me, though if I don’t answer at the first try it must be that I’m in the middle of something.” Dean scratched his scalp with a hand and shrugged. “And if you’ve another nightmare, then it doesn’t matter what time are you calling me, I’ll answer.”

Michael turned to look at his duffle bag. “I think this can apply for both of us, then.”

“Hey, I’m the responsible adult here, not you.” When Dean pointed him with a finger Michael laughed. “I’m being serious here.”

Even when he tried to said that without smiling, Michael’s short laugh was too contagious to not join.

“You seem to forget that even if the body I’ve is of a child, the memories I’ve recovered make me far older than you.”

Dean stroked his hair playfully. “Well, you’re still small, kiddo.”

“Dean, I mean it.” Michael grabbed gently his arm when Dean was already moving it away. “There is something in this case that’s bothering you and you don’t want to speak.”

“Oh, come on! Don’t go all Sammy on me, Mike. I was starting to like you.”

“You don’t need to tell me, but if you ever need something to distract yourself.” He glanced briefly at phone on his hand. “You can call me.”

“Okay, kiddo. I promise.” Dean sighed. He knew that it was the right thing to say when the kid’s lips quirked up.

“Now, would you hug me?”

Dean blinked, thrown away by the question. He squinted at the kid, not sure if he had really said what he had heard. “What?”

“I’ve seen that it’s common between humans to hug when someone is going to part.” Michael’s brow wrinkled. “It’s also used when one receives a gift.”

“Sam had gone far more times than I, why haven’t you done it with him?”

“He’s too tall; besides I’m not as comfortable around him as I am around you.”

Dean frowned, he was going to ignore the request but he was already kneeling in front of the kid and he didn’t want Michael to be as emotionally constipated as him with this kind of things, not that he really were, of course. But he had and wanted to teach the kid, to be a good role model.

“I’m tall too, y’know. Sam’s just frigging abnormal.” He hugged the Michael.

“Of course, Dean.” Michael’s breath was warm against his neck.

“And not telling anything about this to Sam.” He said as he started retreating.

“See! Everyone does hugs!” Dean looked up sharply, turning to see Garth standing outside of the room, his brother next to him with Lucifer on his arms. Damn. Michael hadn’t closed the door and Dean hadn’t bothered to do it either.

Dean pointed a finger to his brother. “Not a word.”

Sam held a hand on surrender and didn’t say anything, though he was clearly biting his lips to hold his laugh. Michael was already standing up from his bed, placing the cell phone he gave him on his front pocket before grabbing his hand. Dean didn’t gave it too much thought.

“Why are you wet?” He asked Sam, who merely gave a pointed look at the kid on his arm, whose hair was wet and his clothes clean.

“I told you.” Michael said at Sam before sighing at his little brother’s grin.

“Do you want me to put you down?”

“But I’m clean!” Lucifer gave him pleaded with his eyes as he moved closer to his brother, smiling when Sam sighed.

Dean ignored them as he placed his bag on his right shoulder and tried to not look at Garth’s soft smile, nor Sam’s worried eyes as he turned towards him. “We’re going out now, right?”

“Yep!” He followed Garth downstairs, stopping when the bright hunter looked over his shoulder to speak with the children. “Next time I’ll present you to Marmeduke, I promise. You’ll love him.”

He then continued walking; Dean didn’t understood what he really meant but his smile was enough to make his lips quirk up unconsciously, but thankfully no one saw him.

“Take care, boy.” Jody hugged him; Bobby was behind her to give him a pat on his shoulder.

“Call me if something is wrong.” Bobby looked at Garth. “Considering both of your lucks, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

“If you need help with some research I’ll be here.” Dean rolled his eyes at Sam and ignored him; he saw from the corner of his eyes how Michael’s head turned to see Lucifer eating the sandwich Jody gave him, watching everyone from Sam’s arms as if they were mere characters from a show. He didn’t want to leave him here with everyone he cared about.

“Okay, mama bear, don’t put your panties in a twist. It has just passed a month since I had hunted.” Dean received a sandwich from Jody too. This place looked more like a home with her here, perhaps she and Sam would be able to teach Lucifer something. Or at least that’s what he had to repeat to himself to not worry too much.

Michael’s thumb stroked his fingers. “It’ll be okay, Dean. I’ll make sure of it.”

He turned towards him, surprised; he sometimes wondered if the kid could read his mind as there were times the kid just knew things. The right things to say.

Dean bent down a little, just enough to be able to speak close to his hear. “I know you love your brother, Michael. But if something happens-“

Michael’s grip on his hand tightened, he looked directly into his eyes. “It’ll be okay, trust me.”

The intensity of Michael’s eyes was enough to make him nod. He had just met the kid for a month, but surprisingly enough, he trusted him. He let go his hand and stroked his hair, one of Michael’s eyes closed at the action.

-          -

Dean was putting his bag inside his car, checking the other bags for his guns and supplies that his brother said he had already packed; he smiled when he saw Rubby’s knife there and took it out, he preferred to have that thing close, just in case.

Opening the door of his Baby he turned to see Bobby giving a beer to Jody, Sam was outside the door talking with the kids on his arms, waving a hand when he noticed Dean’s eyes on him. Michael was already retreating, having accompanied him towards his trunk.

He was inside his Baby by the time Garth’s car turned on.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UH, hope you liked this chapter. ; w ;


	9. Sam's day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He kept his eyes closed as he sighed against the soft material of the cushion, making the notion of changing his position, his body facing whoever was in the room, and moving his hand deeper under the pillow, ready to reach for his gun. It took him barely a second to grab it and unsafe it as he took advantage of his position and, in one fluid movement, moved his weapon to aim the intruder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this came a little longer than I expected, but it was necessary to move the story forward and get to know more characters. Don’t worry that we’ll get to know what happened with Dean and the case. Sam just needed some attention, that’s all.  
> Comments and kudos are appreciated.

Sam had never take care of a kid, didn’t know what they needed, how they worked. He just had his common sense. It was understandable that he had wanted some advice from his brother, the one who had take care of him since forever.

“ _Advice? Ow, Sammy. You’ll be great_ ,” Dean had said after laughing. Sam called him after Lucifer finally left his arms to go and watch some TV with Michael, not caring how wet he still was.

“ _Dean._ ” His brother snorted but after realizing that the panic in Sam’s tone was real, he sighed.

“ _Believe me, Michael is like an adult_. _He’s going take care of everything. He had read those parenting books, after all_.”

“ _Hey, not that you had told him that_ ─”

“ _Yeah, yeah, but he had already read a lot by the time I told him to stop. He knows how that little body of his works_.”

“ _Dean,”_ he had said in a tight voice. _“we’re supposed to take care of them._ ”

“ _And we will. I’m just saying that, well ─ that it won’t be something kid-related what you’ll have to worry about, if that’s why you’re freaking out, of course._ ”

Sam almost breathed in relief. “ _Really?_ ”

“ _Sure._ ” Sam swore that his brother was smiling. “If _you don’t count the sleeping problems, that is_.”

“ _Sleeping problems?_ ”

“ _Well, I don’t know if it will be the same with Lucifer, but Michael sometimes has sleeping problems. Apparently, beings that had never slept had troubles with that_.”

Sam had grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil in no time. “ _And how do you deal with that?_ ”

“ _Nothing that a finger of whisky in a glass of milk can’t do_.”

“ _What?!_ ” He practically shouted. “ _Dean!_ ”

His brother laughed nervously. “ _I’m joking, I’m joking. Jesus, calm down. Just_ ─ _Just let Michael handle it, okay?_ ” 

_“Okay.”_ He sighed. “ _Something else?_ ”

“ _Don’t let them eat candy.”_

 

-          -

 

After drying himself, cleaning the kitchen, reminding Bobby to take his meds, and made sure that the kids were asleep, Sam could finally get some rest for himself and was able to shower and change his own bandages (Close to one in the morning). It had been a stressful day between the case, worrying about Dean and taking care of the kids.

He calculated that it hadn’t passed more than an hour with him lied on bed by the time he felt a presence in the room. After being a hunter for so long he had learn to always be on alert, even while sleeping ─ Especially while sleeping considering that time Dean and he died, killed by a pair of hunters.

He kept his eyes closed as he sighed against the soft material of the cushion, making the notion of changing his position, his body facing whoever was in the room, and moving his hand deeper under the pillow, ready to reach for his gun. It took him barely a second to grab it and unsafe it as he took advantage of his position and, in one fluid movement, moved his weapon to aim the intruder.

He blinked once when he realized that it had been Castiel the one standing there, next to his bed. Even when his face was a couple inches away from his gun, Cas didn't move, didn't even threw a glance at it.

"Hello, Sam," he said in a calm, gravely tone.

"Hi, Cas? What are you doing here?" Sam couldn't keep the incredulity away from his tone. He glanced at the gun, and awkwardly, put it down, next to his drawer.

“My apologies, Dean prayed me, a few hours ago. He told me that it was important that I came to talk to you whenever I could.” Castiel was looking at everything as if he thought that the reason he was called would be in somewhere in his room. Apparently, Dean hadn’t told him the reason.

Sam snorted, shaking as he rubbed half of his face and started to it on the edge of the bed. “Have you been here for long?"

"I came five minutes ago." Castiel moved slightly, letting him reach for his phone that had fell in his outburst of energy. It was almost two in the morning.

"I was going to wait and let you sleep some more,” the angel apologized.

He raised an eyebrow at his angelical friend. He didn't know how Dean was able to sleep with Cas watching over him for hours when, even in his sleep, he had felt clearly Castiel's presence. But since long time ago, he had just save that all weird stuff between them in a burger shaped icon in his brain, like their long stares and the lack of personal space.

"Something's wrong?" Sam said after putting his shirt on; Castiel standing on the same spot, frowning at something on the floor.

“Michael and Lucifer are down there, in the kitchen.”

“What?” Sam followed his gaze, but wasn’t able to see anything. “One second,” he said turning towards Castiel, holding one finger up. He opened the door and headed towards the stairs.

“─ That’s why the use to sleep in groups.”

He heard a hum. “Yes, they seem to conglomerate. But sleeping still seems so unsafe.”

There was a moment of silence, a second before he reached for the kitchen door. When he entered, he saw Michael and Lucifer eating the two sandwiches that were left; they looked up at him with tired eyes.

“What are you doing awake at this hour?” Sam crossed his arms over his chest and tried to use his best parent voice. Michael seemed unimpressed while Lucifer smiled at him.

“Dean said that is good to eat something when you can’t sleep. And Lucifer couldn’t sleep.”

 _Oh, fuck._ Sam’s shoulders slumped. It had to be Dean the one to say that.

He grabbed both plates and, with a pointed stare, motioned the kids to leave their sandwiches. Lucifer looked at him with big eyes, making Sam doubt for a moment.

“Why?”

Sam blinked once and looked at Michael. “It’s bad to eat before sleeping,” he said. “It’s just Dean the one who has an abnormal stomach and metabolism.”

“He says the same about you and vegetables.”

Sam ignored that in order to open the fridge. It was almost empty. There was just enough milk for both of them, so he put the bottle of glass in the microwave and pushed the start button.

“What helps its warm milk.”

“Michael said the same, but we couldn’t get to the upper drawer.”

He frowned. There wasn’t anything in the upper drawers but plates and…

He turned around and saw Michael glaring at his brother.

“That’s,” he pointed at the drawer. “That’s where we put the liquor.”

His mouth clenched shut as he suddenly remembered the talk with his brother over the phone. Michael stopped cleaning his mouth with a napkin when they heard the sound of the milk being ready. He pushed a chair forward and climbed up, grabbing the bottle with the help of some cloth.

Sam’s brain finally worked when he saw Michael taking two cups out and he helped the kids to serve the milk.

He’s going to have some words with his brother.

 

-          -

 

“You seem angry,” Castiel said when he closed the door of his room, the angel was on the same spot he had left him.

“I just have to have a few words with my brother.” He grabbed his phone, but stopped. Dean probably was still on the road, or maybe he found a motel room and got some sleep. He wrote a text message saying, _“Liquor and milk? Really Dean?”_ knowing that Dean left on vibrator the messages, and left his phone on the drawer.

“What did Dean told you, Cas?”

“He mentioned something about you and Lucifer.”

Castiel visibly hesitated. Sam turned around to see better his friend, and sat on the bed. “And?”

“I was down there watching you interact.” Sam raised an eyebrow. “It seems that Dean forgot to tell you about the state of your soul.”

Sam frowned. “Is because of the Wall?”

“No.” Castiel’s eyes wrinkled in an expression that clearly said ‘Dam you, Dean. I’d have smote you if you weren’t my best friend’ or something. “After spending a long time in the Cage with two powerful archangels, your soul damaged, Sam. When Death took you away, your soul was still in the process of melding with the grace of Lucifer. That’s why it reacts that way.”

“So my soul─”

“Its familiar with Lucifer’s grace, that’s why you’re reacting in that way.”

“─still thinks I’m in the Cage?”

Castiel stayed silent.

“When you said that Dean forgot to mention about my soul. Where did he─”

“My Father. Dean asked him why he couldn’t bring you to Limbo. If I’m not mistaken, He told him that being close to you would worsen you state.”

Sam glanced down and pursed his lips. It still hurt not being told.

“But you have to understand that it was just yesterday when they talked.”

He scoffed. “Yeah, I know that Dean can be a little too…” He felt a hand touching his shoulder. The gesture was awkward without practice, but still held the meaning that he wanted to project.

“Am I going to be alright?” he asked.

“Yes. Your soul is strong, Sam.” He looked up and saw kind eyes watching him. “Just give it time. It’s already healing.”

Sam smiled. “So how’s work, Cas?”

 

-          -

 

 

"What about this one?" Lucifer asked, showing another cereal's package to Michael, who, unlike his younger sibling who seemed influenced by the bright animal on the front of the box, preferred to read the nutritional value in the back of a generic one.

"This has more fiber and less unnecessary carbohydrates,” Michael murmured, comparing the boxes with a determined expression on his face, as if it was a matter of life and death what cereal they chose. Sam couldn't help but snort as he leaned a little more into the cart; it was fun to see the kids interact. At first, Michael didn’t want to come but Lucifer was curious and here they are. Though, for some reason, the elder kid seemed more cautious of his surroundings than usual.

Lucifer pouted. "But this has a game behind," he said in an almost pleading tone. That cereal had been the third one he tried to make Michael accept.

Sam tried to hide his smile as he turned to search for the other items they needed, making sure that the kids were always at earshot.

When Sam noticed that the fridge was almost empty the day before he decided that going to the closer shop was what he had to do the next day immediately after waking. It seemed that Dean went with Michael to Lisa's without bothering in stocking the fridge.

It had been thanks to Jody and Garth, the ones who made the sandwiches the previous day, that the kids were able to eat something that wasn’t fast food for dinner. Apparently, Bobby noticed there wasn’t any food to give the kids when he returned from their hunt ─ Balthazar merely rolled his eyes when they asked him to be the heavenly taxi for the older hunter ─ and that was why he wanted to buy something that was not beer. But he was injured and, well, it had been a truly blessing that Jody came with Garth tagging along and they could buy something for everyone to eat.

"We didn't buy anything to cook a proper meal though," Jody mentioned yesterday after Dean left.

"No, it's okay. You came here for help; it wasn't your obligation to buy the food," Sam said smiling as he grabbed three beers and passed one to her and Bobby, "nor to do the cooking."

"And leave those kids to starve themselves?" She scoffed before taking a gulp of her bottle.

Sam had thanked her, before giving Bobby his best stern face for him to do the same; he had rolled his eyes but did it, not without muttering about how he could still have done it fine without help though. Sam had been ready to say something, not caring how much he loved the old man but, to his surprise, Jody merely snorted and, as she placed a hand on her hip, said, "Would it kill you being nice to someone?"

Sam remembered his eyes widen, unable to speak as he watched as the two of them bantering around; Jody smiling as she talked while Bobby's eyes wrinkled at the sides. _And boy, he didn't saw that one coming._

However, now that he thought about it. He remembered the way they talked while they were in that vamp nest, Jody’s first hunt, and how he, between hunts, kept seeing her more and more often around the house. At first, he thought that it was her wanting to help them with Michael and the other kids that will be dumped on them, but _now?_

He shook his head and walked where the kids were, curious to see if they finally decided for a cereal. He already had the meat, the wine and all the other things to make a dinner, when they returned home he was going to make sure to call Jody and ask her when she was going to have a free day so they could have dinner. And if perhaps, he needed to go somewhere else with the kids and left her with Bobby to finish eating alone… well, it wouldn’t be his fault.

"You seem happy," Lucifer commented as he passed him one of the boxes he had chosen. It seemed that Michael could not continue to say no to his little brother.

"You too," Was Sam's answer, even though he didn't know if that ethereal glow he emanated was a little more noticeable because he was happy or just something that was random.

Lucifer hummed, looking at Sam in consideration as he tried to climb up the cart to grab a magazine of animals he had picked up before. "I am," he finally said when Sam helped him climb toward the sit the cart had for kids, the little kid's fingers went to his hair to move some locks of hair aways from his face, "even though I don't remember much and Michael’s ─ Michael’s soul keeps emanating worried vibes." He said the word ‘soul’ as if it was something foreign to him.

"Worried vibes?"

"Yes." the kid sighed. "My brother keeps worrying about that other human. Your brother?"

Now it was Sam’s turn to hum, his brother had answered his previous message with ‘ _Damn, who told you?’_ followed by, _“Hey, that’s what I used to make you sleep. Dad’s recipe_.’

Sam sighed and, with more effort that it should take, turned from Lucifer’s glowing face towards the aisle, just realizing that he had not seen Michael yet. He glanced at everything and, even though Sam wasn’t able to read the kid so well, he was really sure that he wouldn’t leave Lucifer alone. “Where is Michael?” he asked.

Lucifer was reading from the magazine with curiosity as he pointed with a finger the end of the aisle. “He told me to give you the cereal and went to talk with a woman.”

Sam frowned. _What woman?_

The kid looked up, “He told me to not come. That he will be back in a moment.”

The hunter blinked, throw aback by the deep trust he found in the other’s eyes; the innocence that were in those intelligent eyes. He swallowed and pushed the cart forward, still worried. Lucifer used his chest as a cushion to rest his head as he covered his face with the magazine.

When he finally reached the end, he saw Michael talking with a woman in a yellow dress in a way that seemed open and honest, if not a little too forced. A smile on his face that looked perhaps sharper that it should be. As if he were trying to act like a normal child. The old lady didn’t seem to notice Michael's act, or perhaps it was that Sam was able to notice it because he basically lied for a living and knew all the tells.

“Michael?” he asked. The kid turned towards him, narrowing his eyes for a second before he exclaimed, "Sam!" with a tight smile on his face. His eyes locked on Lucifer and Sam could see a hint of relief that the other hadn’t looked up from his magazine.

Sam would be honest, it was cute, and it terrified the hell out of him. He had never seen Michael smiling, or other expression that was not calculating. That day in the motel room ─ when it occurred the meeting between Lucifer and Michael ─ didn't count as he had always averted his eyes, feeling as he was already intruding too much.

"Um, hi?" Sam said brilliantly; and he was sure that Michael wanted to roll his eyes at that moment, looking as if he had failed in doing something.

"So you are Dean's brother?" The voice of old lady made Sam turn to see a right hand extended towards him. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hello." Sam took the hand and saw how she placed the left on top of their interlaced ones. They were warm and soft. "I'm sorry," Sam mentioned once their hands separated, "but my brother has never mentioned you."

"She's Mrs. Hamilton.," Michael’s eyes screamed warning.

She waved a hand. "It wouldn't surprise me; kids tend to take all your attention, even more when they grow up." She winked and grabbed Michael's cheek; the kid looked as if he was used to the torture. "And this sure looks like he's going to be a pretty fellow, girls will be behind him in no time."

Michael made a small noise when his cheek was finally free, thing that made Lucifer look up from his magazine. Mrs. Hamilton's eyes widened in awe as she stared at him, mouth slightly open. Lucifer for his part ignored her in order to look at his brother.

"And who is this little precious boy?" she said almost breathlessly.

"I am Luci-"

"Luce." Sam interrupted him. They hadn’t got the time to talk with Lucifer about his name, and the repercussions it would had to be called like that. "His name is Luce."

"That's not-" Michael pushed the cart casually forward, away from the hand that tried to reach Lucifer's cheeks.

"Uncle Bobby will be mad at us if we don't return," Michael eyes never tore from his as he spoke, the intention was clear.

"Uh, yeah. I think it’s better if we get going." Sam decided to follow the kid’s silent order. “Good bye.”

Sam grabbed Michael and put him inside the cart. He heard someone from afar saying to no not put the kid inside but he ignored the call and kept pushing. It was obvious that being with kids won’t be as dangerous as the hunts were, but so far it seemed that it wasn’t going to be boring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, I’m rewriting my previous story ‘Who is like God’, I’ll let you know when I finish so the ones that haven’t read it or want to can read it. I just don’t recommend to do it just know.  
> And if some has some idea for more bonding moments between Michael and Lucifer or Sam and Lucifer, etc. Seriously, just leave a comment. That or you can send me and ask on my tumblr: dsha2127.tumblr.com


	10. A little insight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly, Dean didn’t want coffee anymore. He didn’t think his body would be able to process it without throwing up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This small chapter is to move the plot a little forward and see more of how Dean's mind is working, but don't worry that fluff and kids moments will soon come, but still. You're all welcomed to tear me into pieces for not updating. I deserved it.

The blaring music loud enough to make a lesser man cringe coming from inside Baby, did nothing to stop Dean’s tiredness to creep inside him. It has passed five hours since he had left Bobby’s house and drank a cup of coffee. Considering he hadn’t slept since driving Bobby, Sam and the kids to the house and then immediately, spent the time looking into a case instead of sleeping, well, it was enough to make anyone tired. And he was human, damnit! He was only slightly glad that they already reached the town and now just needed to go to the motel this Charlie girl had booked

Dean shut his eyes tightly for one second, before opening them and being met with a blurred sight. He blinked a few times and didn’t let a yawn that wanted to escape from him, free. There was a small sound coming from his side and his hand moved, searching for the phone that lay on the passenger seat whose screen had lit up in an incoming message. Wanting some distraction, Dean fumbled with the buttons until the text went open. The screen was too bright, which made him blink and take the phone a couple inches away from his face.

“Liquor and milk? Really Dean?” said the text, clearly sent by Sam. He could almost feel the eye rolling and the bitchface between the words. Dean snorted, clearly amused, if not slightly guilty, about his brother finding out his little secret.

Another message followed the previous one and Dean checked the road before reading it; Garth was still going in a straight line in front of him and the path was empty of any cars but them. Nothing strange there, if you take the hour in account. Dean turned to read the next message and was surprised to read one of his phone numbers in there.

“I’m sorry, Dean. Lucifer couldn’t sleep. Sam found out our  secret.”

A soft smile this time was what tugged on his lips. The words were precise; small enough to convey the meaning Michael wanted to give, enough for Dean to understand, but there was a double space used between the lasts words. Almost as if Michael wasn’t sure and had pressed the space button twice, accidentally. Dean could almost picture Michael with the too big phone for his hands, first writing what he wanted to express, then the cause that had make him do it, and finally, an explanation about his brother’s last message. One that made him remember of the day he went to sleep too late, his feet dragging on the floor with clear weariness at having spent the night watching a Dr. Sexy marathon. It had been hours since he had put the kid to sleep, but when he reached the room that was next to the one he was staying, he noticed a soft light coming from inside. He opened it and found Michael with a small flashlight, a book on his lap. The kid looked up at him, eyes tired, and before Dean had the chance to speak, the kid had already beaten him on it.

“I couldn’t,” he said, voice small and disappointed, but his chin still held high. “I couldn’t sleep.” Uneasiness and shame lingered in his tone, as if had done something wrong and wasn’t sure how to deal with it.

Dean had heard that tone before in himself many, many years ago whenever he hadn’t been able to complete a task his father had asked him to do and had to voice his failure. Never looking down because that may anger his father more but wanting to do it because, perhaps, it’d hurt less than seeing his Dad’s eyes filled with disappointment.

Dean felt his throat close, memories he had tried to hide surfacing at the familiar look in Michael’s face. He didn’t know what to do but his knees where already touching the floor, hands grasping softly the side of the ex-archangel’s face. The kid stilled, fear lit his eyes for a flickering second before it went away, leaving calm, measured eyes instead. It looked wrong.

It was just the third day Michael had stayed with them, but the archangel was already loosing the innocence he had seen in his eyes the first time he appeared under Bobby’s doorway.

“It’s okay,” Dean said, his voice coming a little thick, but he quickly swallowed it as he ran a hand through Michael’s soft hair. The kid closed the book on his lap and nodded, not mentioning anything about the hand on his head.

“I’ll try to sleep again; reading has made me already tired.” Michael talked but he didn’t stand up, it only took a glance at his eyes to know that he didn’t believe that he would be able to sleep. He was just waiting for Dean to leave.

Dean looked around, trying to think in something that may help. Jody gave him books and stuff but he couldn’t think in─ “Milk! Right, milk helps. Here,” he said, grabbing he kid from under the armpits and holding him up to his chest. “Let’s go get some milk for you, okay?”

Michael looked weirdly at Dean’s false animosity but didn’t comment on it, just let him carry him towards the kitchen and put him on top of the table.

While waiting for the milk to warm up, Dean’s confidence that his plan would work dissipated. Yeah, he had seen it many times in movies but whenever he tried it to himself, it never worked. Watching from his peripheral vision, he noticed the drawer with Bobby’s whisky in it. He had a suddenly flashback of a smaller crying Sam with screams loud enough to wake everyone in the motel and his fear of someone running to their door for a discussion about parenting, only to then notice the two lonely kids without any supervision. After seeing his Dad many times sprawled loudly on the couch, dead to world, after a drinking session, he thought that if it could knock his Dad out then it’d work in making little Sam sleep.

Grabbing one of the bottles and pouring a finger of it in a large cup filled with milk, Dean passed it to Michael who was eyeing him warily.

“I know it’s bad, but it’s just a little, okay?”

“It won’t make me sick?”

Dean thought about it. “Don’t think so. I did that with Sam. Be just in case, don’t drink too fast and let’s not get you used to it, ‘kay?”

Michael nodded and drank the cup slowly, taking a few breaks to breathe from time to time.

“It wasn’t too noticeable,” he said once he finished. “And I do feel a little drowsy, but I think Sam and Jody won’t be too happy to hear about this.” He looked up at Dean, his eyes asking for guidance.

Dean had nothing. “Well, then let’s make it our little secret then, huh?”

Dean’s phone vibrated in his palm, startling him for a moment from his thoughts before he chose to answer, not bothering to look at the caller ID. “Yeah?”

“I called Charlie and, funny thing,” Garth said with a chuckle, “but she’s not in her motel room now, but in that dinner we passed like five minutes ago?”

“You must kidding me?” One open at this hour? How he didn’t notice? Chuck, if your ears are perked up, thanks.

“No, sorry, bud. There’s a short way if we turn left here. Just follow me and we’ll be there in a second!”

Dean shook his head and hung up, his eyes lingering on the phone before he put it on the dashboard and followed Garth as he turned. And sure enough, a couple minutes later, they were in front of a small dinner with the lights on and a sign that said that it was open all day. Dean almost ran towards it, a big smile plastered on his face as he entered, Garth standing next to him as he spotted a pretty red-haired girl sitting in the back. He walked towards her while Dean went to the waiter and ordered some coffee for them before going over to the boot and sitting next to a gleeful Garth that was now hugging the girl.

“So I get you’re Charlie, huh?” Dean said, a small grin tugging at his lips when Garth and the girl parted, her hair slightly disheveled.

She extended her hand towards him with a smile perhaps a little too stiff. “The one and only and you must be…”

“Oh, yeah. This is Dean Winchester, the one I mentioned you on the phone. He and his brother Sam are great hunters,” Garth said signaling Dean, and then his palm moved to cup Charlie’s shoulder. “And she’s Charlie Bradbury, the one that passed me the info and is awesome with computers.”

A small frown appeared between Charlie’s eyebrows when they chook hands. “Hey, do you know that there are books of the supernatural genre about a Dean and a Sam?”

Dean groaned. “I’m so going to burn all those books.”

“Good luck with that, they’re already online.”

“What? What are you talking about, guys?”

Charlie turned towards Garth and took a tablet from her bag. “Well, I was searching more info about the supernatural and found out about—“

“Okay, okay!” Dean interrupted her, his hand covering the enormous tablet she pulled out. Seriously, why they keep making them bigger? “We came here for a case, let’s focus on the case.”

Charlie and Garth went quiet as he glared them, his shoulders were starting to relax but then Charlie said quietly, but not less excitedly, “So it’s true? Then thanks for saving the world and all.”

Dean rolled his eyes as he sighed. “What you’ve got for us?”

Charlie perked at that, her focus returning to the computer in front of her. “Yeah, right. Well, it turns out that the FBI agents that came do have the video footage, but I couldn’t borrow it because it wasn’t on the FBI’s serve, it was on a private one.”

“Meaning?” asked Dean.

“Can get it unless you’ve the agent’s phone or their laptops, but they’re a government agency, why would they need it, right? So it made me wonder if they were really FBI agents and, well.” She tapped a few of keys on the laptop, her fingers shaking slightly as a grim expression settled on her face. “It may be because they weren’t FBI agents in the first place.”

Turning the screen’s laptop towards them, Charlie showed them a video footage of four people, two standing close to the wall while one was hovering on other who lay on a table, the same man of the photos. Half of his stomach was scorched black where it looked someone had burnt the flesh to stop the pieces of meat they had cut from bleeding. There was no sound, but Dean could hear the screams clearly echoing on his head.

Everyone’s eyes were black.

Garth gagged next to him and he turned to look outside the window, breathing deeply as he tried to calm himself. Dean swallowed but his eyes didn’t move away from the video of the young girl cutting the man’s with a smile. He knew that smile.

He glanced up at Charlie, she was pale and her lips were pursed, but there was strength in her eyes that made Dean look away, ashamed. “Didn’t you say that you couldn’t obtain the video without—“

“I went inside their room and took the information.”

Dean’s stare turned quickly towards her, fear, anger, and worry seeping in his tone. “What?”

“Keep looking,” she said, pointing at the video and Dean did, Garth also turning towards it his eyes returning to the footage. He saw one of the demons turning his head towards the door, he spoke something to the teen in front of him and she pouted at hearing it, snapping her fingers as she made the demon’s bodies near explode, blood covered the walls as black smoke escaped through the nearest windows. The girl giggled before entirely disappearing. Two persons in suit coming a second later from one of the doors.

“They were demons, right? Their eyes were black.”

 “Yeah… there’s no sound?” he asked looking up.

Charlie bit her lip, but nodded. “Yes, but they don’t speak anything, they more like growl at each other. The only actual talking they do is went one of those guys tells the kid that someone is coming.”

“I want to hear it.”

Garth finally looked away from the screen at that. “And scare everyone?”

Dean frowned. “What are you doing here by the way?”

Charlie embraced herself a little. “I wanted to be close to… people. Normal people. I know it’s weird, but─”

“No,” Dean interrupted her. “It’s perfectly normal.”

She exhaled and smiled, pointing towards the doors. “I’ve got the earbuds of my phone, but they’re in my motel room. You ordered coffee so let’s stay until we finish, though I’m serious when I say there’s nothing understandable there.”

Dean gave her a shaky grin. “Let’s see about that,” he murmured, afraid even if he didn’t show it. He remembered his first years torturing in Hell, Alastair telling him about how long it took for a soul to turn into a demon and then seeing by himself how the humans that tortured turned into something indiscernible from what they once were. Taint, fetid, foul bits of black mass that made him want to throw up. Animalistic in nature as rational thinking was tore away from them thanks to the years of torture. Alastair reassuring him, close to his ear in a whisper, about how that wasn’t going to happen to him, that he won’t make him turn into that, not to his favorite pupil.

Even if he hadn’t reached that state, after many years in Hell, he learnt the language those first new born demons were only able to talk, the idiom that turned into the demon’s secret language and consisted in growls, groans and screams, as they were the only thing demons could do at that young age.

Suddenly, Dean didn’t want coffee anymore. He didn’t think his body would be able to process it without throwing up.

Charlie closed her laptop when the waiter came, placing three cups in front of everyone. She asked if they wanted something else and they shook their heads. Charlie took small sips while Garth drowned almost all of his in one gulp. Dean didn’t touch his, held his respiration as to not smell it. They left in the next fifteen minutes, everyone taking his own car.

“Sorry, Dean, but you and Garth look tired.” Charlie was standing next to him while Garth booked a room with two single beds; her bag with the computer inside was on her shoulder. “I’m also beat up, so let’s get some sleep and then tomorrow we can check the video again, ‘kay?”

Dean was about to protest but there was something in Charlie’s smile that stopped him, it reminded him of Sam when he was a kid and told Dean to stay in bed when he was sick.

“Okay,” he answered.

They made sure Charlie’s room was protected against demons before going to their own, Dean checking again the text he received an hour ago, re-reading, and re-reading until he felt as himself so he could answer both.


	11. Dealing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At six, Dean was finally able to look away from the laptop and from the images that brought his Hell’s memories at surface. Away from the slight sick longing. And it was only because the screen of his phone lit, signaling he received a new text message. He grabbed it, palms slight wet and cold as he started to read.

Garth's soft snores filling the dark room were calming in a way. After many years in the road, and subsequently, leaving in close quarters with his brother, Dean had gotten used to sleep with some noise. It could have been Sam’s respiration or the sheets moving whenever his brother changed position, but it was noise nonetheless. And if Dean closed briefly his eyes and didn’t look to his right, he could almost imagine that it was Sam the one sleeping in the bed next to his.

Though even with the slightly familiar atmosphere Dean didn’t sleep; he couldn’t. He knew what would wait for him as soon as he closed his eyes and welcomed his subconscious to take the reins, and he didn’t want to risk it.

It was when he was looking at the ceiling that he felt powerful eyes settling on him. Dean sighed, recognizing the sensation and sat at the edge of the bed, rubbing a hand through his face as he peered at the form lying in the other bed. Garth was still asleep. Turning to where he could still feel the eyes, Dean nodded at Cas, pointing at the door’s direction. There was a light flutter of wings and then Cas was gone.

Dean put some jeans and opened the door carefully, not wanting to wake the other hunter. Once outside, he looked around for the familiar trench coat. Cas was leaning on the impala, eyes trained upwards. Dean walked towards him, mirroring his posture against Baby’s hood.

“I checked on Sam,” he started. “I wanted to inform you about what I found before I returned to Heaven.”

“Being God’s secretary must keep you busy, uh?”

“I’m not─” Cas glanced at him and shook his head, not bothering to continue. Dean’s lips twitched. “Sam is fine. His soul merely recognizes Lucifer for the extended time they spent together.”

Dean frowned. “He doesn’t act weird around Michael.”

“It’s because at being Lucifer’s vessel, Sam’s soul was within his grace.” Dean pursed his lips. “He’s going to be fine, Dean. He just needs time to heal.”

“Don’t you think that being with this new Lucifer would make the Wall unstable?”

Cas didn’t took the bait at his angered tone. “Possibly,” he answered calmly.

Dean puffed a breath and crossed his arms over his chest. He wanted to return to Bobby’s and check on everything, but he wouldn’t. He understood the importance of this case and he might be the only one able to understand it, but _…_ He glanced down. He was afraid of losing himself in his memories. He didn’t want to lose his sanity because of a case. Before, he was able to push his memories of Hell down; it was easy to distract himself on Earth, ignore it with some booze. He could fight away every potential for savagery that he had awoken as Alastair’s apprentice. But how he was going to be able to ignore it now? How he was going to lock the darkness inside him?

“You seem distressed,” Castiel said, startling him from his thoughts. There was a reassuring warm weight settling over his shoulders. Dean glanced at his left and saw Cas’s wing next to him, embracing his body. The movement was slow and awkward, but the intention clear. Dean huffed, leaning ever so slightly into the softness of the feathers. He shot Cas a ‘If you ever tell someone about this, I’m going to kill you’ look, before closing his eyes.

“It’s just a difficult case, Cas. Nothing that we can solve.”

He felt his friend fidgeting next to him. “I could help, if you wish.”

“Nah. You’ve enough in your plate. I feel already safe knowing that you’ll be up checking on your siblings and Chuck.”

“I’ll try to do my best.”

Cas answered as if Dean had just give him an order and he was planning in not failing. Dean opened one eye and saw Cas wearing a solemn face and, yeah, that did it. Dean stood up, leaving the warm of the wing before patting Cas’s back.

“I trust you, man.”

“And I do, too, Dean.” Cas looked directly at him and there was some deep faith in his eyes that Dean couldn’t bear. He glanced briefly away. “You’re a good man,” he continued, his hand going to the shoulder where the mark was. He squeezed gently to obtain his attention and they watched into each other eyes for a moment before Cas left.

Dean bought some coffee from the machine and returned to the room. The coffee sucked but served its purpose. He first watched some TV until there was anything good in it, and then looked at the ceiling as he thought in everything he had to do the next morning until the first rays of light seeped through the drawn curtains. It was because all of that, and the fact that they chose the room next Charlie’s, that he was able to hear her door opening at five thirty in the morning.

It was curiosity and wariness the one that made him peek out from the motel’s room; he needed to make sure that everything was fine. It wasn’t because he was bored of poking at the same issue constantly. Or that’s what he told himself.

Charlie was now closing her door with the key wearing loose pants and an old t-shirt with the picture of Spock on the front.

She looked up, surprised. “I’m going out for a jog,” she explained when their eyes meet, pointing at the direction of the street. “Wanna join me?”

Dean shook his head. Exercise was more of Sam’s thing. “You’re wearing the necklace?”

Half of her lips quirked into a smile and she pulled out the anti-possession charm from under her shirt. “Yes, sir!”

Dean smiled at her animosity, something he would consider unnatural at this hour.

She raised an eyebrow when Dean continued looking at her without breaking eye contact. He fidgeted on his feet as nervousness and dread started to form in the pit of his stomach. Charlie stood calmly in front of him, waiting for him to sort his thoughts out.

“I want to watch the video alone,” he admitted, loud enough for only Charlie to hear.

 She didn’t question and fuck, he was so thankful for that; instead pointed her room with a head tilt after tossing her keys at him with a bright smile. “You can use my room,” she said and for one moment, Dean felt at ease.

 

* * *

 

“Something pulled me outside! I didn’t want to─ I didn’t, but─!”

“No, no,” the teen interrupted in English, stopping the pained grunts of the demon. “You did want to. And you left me all by myself. I thought we were having fun.” She turned to the two other demons standing near. “We didn’t even finish, can you believe it?”

There was a hole in his middle, opened in a precise way that there wasn’t any bone visible. The flesh near the ribs looked burnt as if to stop the bleeding, but the color wasn’t charcoal black. It was golden, like the meat perfectly cooked you see in those fancy food programs.

Her delicate hand went inside his empty stomach and reached up towards the chest. “It beats,” she said with a fond smile. “Mind telling me how did you managed out?”

 

* * *

 

At six, Dean was finally able to look away from the laptop and from the images that brought his Hell’s memories at surface. Away from the slight sick longing. And it was only because the screen of his phone lit, signaling he received a new text message. He grabbed it, palms slight wet and cold as he started to read.

**Good morning, Dean. Did you sleep well?**

Dean did a double take and blinked at the familiar number. He inhaled, ignoring his dry throat and how his tongue felt too big for his mouth, and then he exhaled. He tapped at the screen, changing the name to ‘Michael’ and saved the setting. It felt right.

He wanted to write some witty answer but nothing occurred to him; his mind was still blank. His fingers felt numb and he could still hear the demons clearly talking. Dean swallowed and pressed the call button. He waited exactly one ring before Michael’s voice came from the other end.

“Dean?”

“Hi─” Dean tried, digging his nails into his palm to calm his tone. He swallowed and tried again. “Hi, kiddo. How’s everything going?”

There was a small silence, and Dean could swear he heard Michael’s brain working. When he finally spoke, it was slow and measured. “We’re fine. What about you?”

He shrugged even if Michael couldn’t see him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and his fingers trailed to rub his eyes. “You know, the same,” he answered weakly. This time, the silence was uncomfortable and heavy. Dean inhaled again, wanting to hang up, but at the same time, he didn’t want that loud silence his mind offered. “So Sam found out about the whisky, um?”

There was a soft ‘oh’ of understanding. “You want to hear me talk,” Michael stated plainly.

Dean chuckled and it sound weak to his ears, but the sentence was _so_ Michael that it managed to calm him even so slightly.

He expected, a little grimly, Michael to ask him if he was fine and he was so pleased, second time that day, that he didn’t.

\- -

“Maybe if you use a false moustache, Ms. Hamilton won’t notice you or Lucifer.”

He could almost picture Michael scrunching his nose. “I don’t think that’d work.”

“Who knows, the woman is kind of old and I don’t think Sam will agree to put both of you inside the cart and hide you with cereal.”

Michael hummed. “Well, I’ve to admit that it was an interesting day.”

Dean was laughing at the amusement in Michael’s tone by the time Charlie opened the door. Her eyebrows were raised but there was a smile tugging on her lips when she did some gestures with her hand indicating that she was going to use the shower.

“Garth went for breakfast,” she whispered with clean clothes under her arm before she entered the bathroom. Dean nodded at her and continued talking.

“Or you could tell Sam that─”

“No.”

His lips twitched. “Why not? He’s not going to make you do something you don’t want to.”

“Maybe if I don’t go to the supermarket and─”

“You like to go there.”

“Yes, but─”

“No, Michael. Face it like a big boy and talk to Sam into agreeing to hide you.”

Michael huffed and then there was some shuffling in the background. “I think Lucifer is awaking,” he said, somehow distracted.

“Then he’s going to be hungry. Aren’t you hungry?”

“A little,” he confessed.

“In that case, go eat something. Sam must be cooking. I’m going to eat it soon, too. Charlie told me Garth went for food.”

Michael didn’t answer immediately, and when he did, he sounded almost shy. “Then talk you later?”

“Sure,” Dean said brightly, and before Michael had the chance to hang up, he murmured a ‘Thanks’.

“Well, that’s a nice smile.”

Dean looked up from the phone and saw Garth’s head peeking from the door. He pushed the wood with one hand, holding two bags with the other, and walked inside. Dean stood and helped him set the plastic plates and the food on the table. By the time Charlie came out, everything was served.

“It’s safe discussing the case while we eat, or should we wait?” Garth asked, a fork going to his mouth.

Charlie pointed her head towards him. “He means if there’s no doubt that we’re going to lose our food by the news.”

Dean scoffed and glanced down at his plate, tugging at the remnants of bacon with his fork. “Demons are escaping Hell,” he said.

“I thought demons escaped Hell all the time from what Garth informed me.”

Looking up, Dean raised an eyebrow at Garth. “Dude, demons don’t escape Hell. They’re strong enough to do the paperwork to be let out.”

“Wait. Demons do paperwork?”

“Something similar. Though knowing Crowley, maybe they do that now.” Dean rolled his eyes. “My point is that souls that are barely demons don’t have the enough mental stability to even think in escaping. And the one on that table…” Dean swallowed. “Even if it was no longer a human, it was barely a demon.”

Charlie stopped chewing to direct her gaze towards him. “So you’re saying that someone let this demon out?”

“Demons,” Garth corrected, his eyes going from them to the file that was still on the table. “This is not the first case, remember?”

“So someone is letting _demons_ out, then?”

Dean threw the fork on the empty plate and grabbed a napkin to clean his mouth. “But that makes no sense. Why would anyone let them out when they can’t do a thing. They must be like big babies with powers.”

“Dunno. Break havoc, maybe?” Charlie shrugged.

“Wait!” Garth stood up and went to where Charlie’s laptop was. He turned it on. “Doesn’t that mean that there should have been some clue wherever a demon like that appeared if they’re so destructive?” He pointed a finger at Charlie. “Some kind of havoc?”

Charlie perked up and grabbed the laptop from Garth. “Right. There must be something that made the other demons alert about their presence in the first place.”

“Big enough to appear in the news? Well, it’s worth to check it.”

Garth took his phone out. “I’m going to update Bobby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update! Yes!  
> Kudos, comments, critics, everything is appreciated 8'D!


	12. Important News

I just want to let everyone following this verse that I'm posting a re-written version of it. I posted 'Who is like God' when I was barely grasping the English rules and didn't know how to, uh, 'write' in the sense that my dialogue and storytelling was kind of bad (I don't mention my grammar because well, it's better to not mention it). I'm still not perfect with the language but I've at least a better concept of how to make this work. Instead of updating the chapters, I'm deciding for posting a new whole fic with everything inside. I won't erase this fic but I'll not update this verse anymore, just the new one. So, enjoy and let me known if you like it:

**[ Deus ex Machina](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6556978) **


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